


Danganronpa: Pokémon's Despair

by Heroi_Oscura



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Original Character(s), Pokemon Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:29:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heroi_Oscura/pseuds/Heroi_Oscura
Summary: When sixteen pokémon are invited to create the Ultimate Exploration Team by the head of Wigglytuff's Guild, himself, they all enter expecting to experience the new life of being a world-famous exploration team. Instead, they are forced into a sick game where the only way to get out... is to kill one of their fellow members.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 7/1/19: Fixed a discrepancy with Froslass and Noivern's backstory.

Prologue: Welcome to the Despair Guild!

* * *

I stared down the hole, feeling the wind rustle my fur, with a strange fear inside myself. I knew if I climbed down the ladder and into Wigglytuff's Guild my entire life will change.

I'm sorry! I just realized I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Braixen.... and I'm also apparently known as the Ultimate Luckster.

Not a title fitting for me, I know. I personally would've called myself the Ultimate... something. To be completely honest, I'm just an average girl who was randomly selected to join the guild.

Oh sorry! I'm getting off-topic. Let me start from the beginning.

You see, after the events with the Time Gears, Wigglytuff's Guild has been growing larger and larger, with it gaining nearly over a hundred members. Soon enough, however, people were only joining just to say they were a part of this famous guild, which upset Guildmaster Wigglytuff. They decided to invite several pokémon from around the world to join their guild. These pokémon would be "ultimates" in their respective field and be able to form the ultimate team.

And now you're probably thinking about me. Why someone called "The Ultimate Luckster" was lucky enough to be invited to join a team like this. Well, it was just that. I was lucky.

Wigglytuff did a random draw from the millions of pokémon living on the planet. And my name was the one he managed to pick.

It's not that I'm not happy. It's just... an ordinary pokémon like me joining a team of ultimates? What kind of person wouldn't feel a bit intimidated?

Of course, it was just an orientation.... What's the harm could it do? If I didn't like it I could always back out of it before the team was officially formed.

Bringing myself back to reality, I steeled my nerves and placed my foot on the first ladder rung before I could change my mind.

Immediately when my foot touched the ladder, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness overcome. Placing my paw on my head did nothing to help as I closed my eyes. I didn't even have time for a final thought before I blacked out.

xXx

When I opened my eyes, I found myself sleeping on a pile of hay.

Admittedly not my favorite living conditions.

Pulling myself out of the "bed", I looked around in stunned silence. I was in a small room with a rocky wall and a metal plate converting something on the back wall. Curiously, I went over to the plate and lightly rapped it with my hand. "It's definitely metal," I confirmed, before pulling out my stick out of my tail. Pointing the price of wood at the metal, I yelled, "Ember!"

A small wisp of fire shot out of the stick and traveled right into the metal plate. I had expected it to burn straight through the metal, but when the fire cleared nothing had happened. I frowned. Usually, my fire could easily burn through any sort of metal. It was definitely strange.

Unsatisfied, I turned around and looked at the rest of the room. I wasn't really happy with what I saw. There was a small room to the right that I assumed to be the bathroom but most of the room was bland with no decorations to highlight my excellent personality.

Hey! I know what you're thinking. I have an excellent personality!

Sighing, I turned to the door which turned out to be just wood with a small metal handle on it. Feeling like there was nothing left for me to see in my room, I left.

xXx

I closed the door behind me, and gazed around the giant hall. It certainly was Wigglytuff's guild, no mistake about it. The only difference I could see from what people have told me was that there was another ladder leading down, except it was blocked with a metal grate.

Oh, and there were several other pokémon standing around the ladder that led to the surface. It was blocked off by some sort of metal gate.

I did a double take. Wait, what?!

I quickly walked to the small group they had formed and looked at each one of them carefully. " _This must be the other ultimates_ ," I realized when I recognized a few of the famous ones.

A bipedal, canine-like pokémon, with fur that is mostly blue and black, walked up to me. It had a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, along with a third on its chest. It had a long snout and ears. It had cream-colored fur on its torso and blue fur on its thighs that resembled shorts. It had four small black appendages on its head. "You're an ultimate too?" he cheerfully asked.

"Um... yeah," I answered.

"That great!" he said, a small grin forming on his face. "I'm Lucario, the Ultimate Fighter!"

**Lucario~ The Ultimate Fighter**

He suddenly frowned and studied me. I took a step back, feeling a bit self-conscious. "What?" I asked nervously.

He glared at me. "You need to work out more!"

"W-what?!" I blinked in surprise.

Lucario nodded. "It's just as I said! You need to put yourself on an intense training regimen!" He grinned. "Even if you're a girl you can be the strongest there ever was! I'd be happy to help you." He nodded to himself. “Yes, yes. Anyone can be the strongest in the world!”

“Anyone?” I repeated, surprised at how sure Lucario had sounded. “S-Sorry, but I don’t think, I’m really cut out for something like that.”

“Nonsense!” Lucario grinned. “You can do anything as long as you just try, after all, Miss…” He looked at me expectantly.

“Braixen,” I supplied. “the Ultimate Luckster.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “However, luck has nothing on strength! One must always train their muscles!!” He paused for a moment. “I can lend you a strength brace if you would like?”

“Actually,” I said, quickly deciding to change the subject. “Do you know what’s going on? Where’s Wigglytuff?”

Lucario seemed to be a bit disappointed in me. “No,” he said with a sigh. “I just woke up here with the other, unfortunately. And we can’t break through that metal grate. Even I…” He looked at me with fire in his eyes. “That just means I need to train some more. Would you care to join me?”

“Right now? I think I’ll pass,” I said nervously. “At least until I talk to some of the other ultimates.”

“Be careful then,” Lucario advised. “Not all of them are nice like me.” He walked away, back towards where the ladder should’ve been, as I moved away from the Ultimate Fighter.

Another pokémon caught my eye. This one was a large, bipedal, frog-like pokémon. Its body and legs were dark blue, with single large white bubbles on its legs and arms and white spots over its eyes. Its back feet had two toes, while its front feet have three toes. The feet were webbed, and it had a yellow chest and a yellow-and-blue face. A large dark blue stripe ran down the middle of its head, with projected light blue stripes in between its large, yellow ears. Its mouth was hidden behind a large, pink tongue that wrapped around its neck. It was leaning against the wall with its eyes closed as if resting.

I stared at the pokémon for a good few seconds. "Wow," I breathed. "He seems pretty cool."

The greninja stiffened as if it had heard me and straightened its back. "I'm a girl," she said, stiffly, with an obvious feminine voice emitting from underneath her tongue.

"Oh." I felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just thought..."

She raised her hand to stop me. "It's fine. A lot of people confuse that fact. However, gender has little to do with being an assassin."

**Greninja~ The Ultimate Assassin**

"A-assassin?!" I stammered.

I could see her smiling underneath her tongue. "Yes," she said. "But don't worry. I don't intend to kill anyone here if necessary."

That hardly helped me calm my nerves, but nevertheless, I nodded. "Okay..."

"Hello, hello, hello!" Immediately after I said that a pelican-like Pokémon with no neck flew into my face. It had white feathers, a yellow underbelly, and a blue head crest. Its large wings had three digits and blue wing tips. It had small, blue webbed feet, a short tail, and eyes that were made of two black semi-circles. It also had a large bill and a throat pouch. "I am Pelipper, the Ultimate Mailman!"

**Pelipper~ The Ultimate Mailman**

"Mailman?" I asked, feeling somewhat confused. What good would a mailman do in a team that was supposed to fight evil and such?

"Yep!" Pelipper exclaimed. "I'm an amazing mailman." He winked at me, which caused a chill to go down my spine. "I'll deliver anything as long as there's... payment."

"Eh he." I tried to laugh at his obvious flirting. I was expecting something else when I thought of an ultimate. I guess that means there are all types of people in this world…

Pelipper edged closer to me and winked. "Why don't we go somewhere-?"

"Be quiet." A deep gravelly voice interrupted our talk. I turned to see a robotic pokémon with teal, metallic skin. It had a disc-shaped body with a pair of flat, gray spikes on either side toward the rear. There was a gray spike in the middle of its face, like a nose. A pair of red eyes resided in two holes in its metallic skin. It has a pair of thick arms with three claws on the ends. The arms were considerably thicker below the elbow and have a flat, blunt protrusion that extended over the joint. "She obviously doesn't want to continue the conversation. Maybe you should depart from her personal space."

"Tsk." Pelipper didn't look very happy. "Fine," he said as he flew away.

I looked at my savior. "Thanks..." I started to say before the words died in my mouth. "Y-you're Metang!"

**Metang~ The Ultimate Genius**

Metang was the smartest pokémon in the world. His IQ was on par with a Metagross's with some rumors even stating that he may get even _smarter_ when he evolves. Even though he's only my age, he already has an amazing amount of awards and pretty much everyone looked up to him. He was basically a hero to all psychic types, including me since I planned on evolving someday.

Metang didn't seem to show any emotion. "Yes, I am," he agreed. "May I ask who you are?"

"Eek!" I couldn't seem to form the right words. "I'm Braixen...."

Is that all I could really say?

"Braixen, eh...?" I couldn't see it, but I felt like he was smiling on the inside. "Well, you seem somewhat smart. I'm sure you'll do fine within this team."

My spirits lifted considerably. "T-thank you," I stammered, feeling heat rise up in my cheeks, for being praised by my hero.

“Seems like you’re popular, Metang,” a sudden voice came from just behind me.

I turned around and let out a yelp, falling on my bum. Right behind me was a dark purple, bipedal Pokémon with a roundish body. It had red eyes and a wide curled into a sinister grin. Multiple spikes covered its back, and it had large pointed ears. Its arms and legs were short with three digits on both its hands and feet and it also had a stubby tail.

Metang let out a loud sigh. “Gengar, if you would please avoid scaring the other ultimates that would be much appreciated.”

Gengar grinned. “Aw, fuck, Metang. Lemme have some fun once a while.”

“W-what… w-hy…?” I tried to say, my words all jumbled up.

“Nice to meet ya, Braixen!” Gengar winked. “Name’s Gengar! The Ultimate Infiltrator!”

**Gengar~ The Ultimate Infiltrator**

“Infiltrator?!” I asked, my eyes wide. “Like a spy?”

Gengar snapped his fingers. “Exactly like that! There’s no one better than me when it comes to sneaking into places!” His grin stretched farther across his face. “In fact, I could actually sneak into your-!”

“Gengar, enough, she already had to deal with this from Pelipper,” Metang suddenly spoke up from behind me, before he turned back to me. “I’m sorry Braixen,” Metang said, bowing his head slightly. “Gengar isn’t known for his manners.”

“Hell yeah!” Gengar agreed. “I don’t even know what the magic word is!”

“Right…” I said, nervously. “Well, it was nice to meet you.”

Gengar ignored her and turned to Metang suddenly serious. “Anyway, I tried what you suggested,” he told Metang. “Sorry I can’t phase through that metal at all. I don’t know why, but it’s impossible.”

“Hm…” Metang’s brow furrowed. “How strange…”

Deciding that my presence was not welcome, I glanced nearby to see another ultimate staring at the floor. It was a bipedal pokémon that was mostly green with a red underside. There was belt-like green stripe across the belly and the hands had two clawed fingers, and powerful legs. It also had three long leaves on the wrists, a large leaf on top of its head, and two tails that looked a lot like leaves.

He caught me staring at him. "What?" He didn't seem like he was happy with me interrupting his thoughts.

"Nothing," I quickly said. "I was just wondering who you were."

Grovyle folded his arms. "Grovyle,” he said shortly.

“Ah.” I smiled. “What’s your talent?”

“…” He stayed quiet. “Do you know what it is?”

**Grovyle~ The Ultimate ???**

"Well...um." I couldn't really answer his question.

"I thought so." He closed his eyes and resumed to think. "Please don't bother me again."

"Alright," I quickly backed away, nearly tripping over something.

“Don’t move!”

I quickly froze, but tried to crane my neck to see who had yelled at me. It was another bipedal Pokémon with a spike located on its tail. Its stomach was a light brown while the rest of its body was a darker shade. It had two small claws, one on each hand, and two large nails for toes. The pokémon’s head was composed of a large skull with its jaw also made of bone, and its nostrils were located on the nose of the skull. Its triangular eyes were colored brown.

“What?” I asked, not moving even a single inch.

The marowak quickly grabbed a bone from near my legs and hugged it. “You nearly scratched my club!” she scolded. “You need to be more careful!”

I blinked. “Sorry?” I said carefully. I hesitated for a quick second. “Who are you?”

She nodded. “Ah, right, introductions. I don’t often have to do much of those, don’t I?” She chuckled to herself. “Name’s Marowak! I’m the Ultimate Archeologist!”

**Marowak~ The Ultimate Archeologist**

“A… what?” I frowned. I had never heard of Marowak

“An archeologist,” Marowak repeated. “In laymen’s terms, I’m someone who studies the past of the Pokémon World. Through…” She held up her club, expecting me to be amazed. “…this.”

“A bone?” I asked, wondering if she was serious.

She never gave an indication that she had heard me, instead choosing to examine her club hungrily. “Bones are incredible. They the structure that holds up most bodies together and you can tell how a pokémon lived their entire lives by looking at the bones they had left behind. For example,” she said as she shoved her club into my face. “This came from a tauros. You can tell by the marks that this one often got into fights with others of its kind but lost extremely frequently.” She continued to explain the specific details of the bone she held to the point where I didn’t understand a word that was coming from her mouth.

“Um, excuse me…” I tried to say, clearing my throat, as she paused and gave me a weird look.

“What?” Marowak asked me, a bit disgruntled.

“You were kinda going a bit crazy there you know,” I said. “I just wanted to know if you were alright.”

“Huh?” Marowak looked confused. “What makes you say that?” She smiled. “Of course, I’m alright! Bones always make my day better wherever or whenever they come from!”

“Right…” I held out a paw. ‘My name is Braixen,” I greeted, before faltering. Marowak had completely ignored my greeting and instead was staring intently at her club, muttering something under her breath. “Um… excuse me?”

"D-don't b-bother." I turned my head to see a humanoid pokémon with a hollow torso that resembled a kimono. It wears a red band around its waist. Its body lacked feet and it was floating in the air. Its arms are connected to the sides of its head, and flared at the wrists. The flared portion had light blue coloration. Its hands consisted of three small fingers. The head was shaped like a sideways water droplet, and two ice crystals that resembled horn, were at the top. The head has several holes on it, which made it resemble a mask. Through two of these holes, crystal blue eyes with yellow sclera can be seen and a mouth was below this "mask". "Sh-he's o-one o-of t-those crazy o-ones," the pokémon continued.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Eep," she squeaked, before floating away a couple of inches. "F-froslass, the Ul-ultimate Dancer."

**Froslass~ The Ultimate Dancer**

“Dancer?” I repeated. A smile emerged on my face. “That’s amazing!” I exclaimed. “Aren’t you the one who trained with the Kimono Eevees? I’ve heard you’re one of the best they have!”

Froslass nodded, numbly, seemly unable to continue the conversation any further.

I blinked, confused as to why she wasn’t talking. “So what is it like to be a dancer. I’ve always admired the Kimono Eevees."

“N-no o-offense,” Froslass stuttered. “B-but can you l-leave me alone?”

“Oh,” I said, blinking. “Okay…?”

Froslass looked relieved. ’T-thank y-you,” she said, before floating away.

“FUCK THIS PLACE!!” Someone suddenly shouted to the right of me. I whirled around, as did much of the other ultimates to another pokémon angrily smashing his claws into the wall. “What the fuck are we supposed to be doing here?! Wigglytuff you little shit!!!”

He was a slouched, bipedal wolf with short red fur with white on its lower legs and a white streak that covered his face, underbelly, and tail. He had pointed, button ears with black tips, three large tufts of fur on each side of his face, a triangular black nose, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. A mane of fur covered his back and shoulders, sweeping forward over his head, something that reminded me of a crescent moon. On either side of his body, just below the shoulders, were two small rocks resembling claws poking out of his mane. A single, bigger stone projected out of the front of the mane over his head and his paws had three black claws, and a stubby tail covered in long fur.

He turned around rather quickly and spotted me staring at him. “What?” he growled, stomping towards me. “You’ve got a problem.”

“No!” I quickly said, holding my hands up. “I was…was…” My voice quickly died. _Why did I even bother saying anything?_ I wondered to myself.

The lycanroc sneered. “My name is Lycanroc the Ultimate Berserker!!” he yelled into my face, getting dangerously close. “Got it memorized?!”

**Lycanroc~ The Ultimate Berserker**

I froze, not anticipating the sheer volume of his voice. “Y-yes!” I spluttered out an answer.

Lycanroc scowled. “Good enough for me. Now go take your shit elsewhere or I’ll beat your face in,” he threatened, before stomping away.

I stood there, frozen. Lycanroc. I recognized him. A solo adventurer who had managed to take down plenty of criminals through completely insane means and sheer force, even occasionally murdering some of them. So much so, that he had practically become a criminal himself. I remembered that there were even several wanted posters of him hanging up in my hometown.

_What was someone like him doing here?_

"He's a bit scary, right?" someone said next to me.

Without bothering to turn my head, I nodded. “Yeah..."I suddenly jumped in surprise and turned around, to find a large bat-like pokémon with enormous ears and a mane of white fur sprouting around its neck and upper back. It also had two black wings lined with a dusky purple and has maroon claws. A teal membrane fans between its chest and wings.

“Hey!” she greeted, quite loudly while smiling. “What’s up?!”

“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring her question. For some reason, I felt like I had seen her somewhere before, and it was bothering me.

The pokémon grinned. “I’m Noivern,” she greeted. “The Ultimate Rock Star!”

**Noivern~ The Ultimate Rock Star**

I stared at her. “A rock star?” I repeated, incredulously. “Why-?”

She interrupted me. “Wigglytuff thought that the team could use a little bit of musical genius,” she said, smugly before winking. “I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of me?”

I nodded numbly. Noivern. Now I remembered who she was. Noivern was famous. So much so, that I was surprised that I didn’t immediately recognize her. She was the first pokémon to ever actually be able to mimic the sounds and music that humans had been able to play! Because of that, she's been a huge star in the music scene among pokemon.

Noivern grinned showing off her fangs. “That’s great!” she exclaimed. “Would you like to come to one of my concerts, when we get out of here?”

I smiled apologetically. “Probably not,” I responded. “I would never get a chance to go to something like that.”

“Oh.” Noivern looked slightly off-put, before brightening up. “You have to be anti-authority in today’s world! Revolt against the paternal units.” She grinned again. “Do what I did!”

I laughed awkwardly. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said kindly.

Noivern smirked. “All we need is some more people,” she muttered, before flapping her wings and flying away.

I watched her go, feeling a bit confused. What was that she said? Something about needing more people…?

I turned around to see two pokémon deep in conversation. The first one had a large, ovoid body with a pink upper body and white lower body. It had hair-like curls on either side of its head. White, wing-like tufts grow from its hips and shoulders and a small, pink pouch on its belly held a single egg. Its stubby arms and feet were pink and didn't have any toes or fingers. It seemed to have a permanent smile etched across his face. "Isn't this wonderful?!" The pokémon asked with a gleeful smile on her face.

The second one was a tiny, insectoid Pokémon with a large head, slightly smaller body, and thin arms and legs. It was covered in fluffy, yellow hair with a white face, hips, and a tuft of hair on its back. It had big eyes with a small, brown square speck in the lower half. Over its eyes were some white hairs similar to eyelashes and it had two black antennae. Around its neck was a brown scarf with a needle-like projection on the front. Two wings nearly as large as its body sprouted from its back which were clear with three brown loop designs near the base. Its four thin limbs had bulbous ends. "Yep!" agreed the Fairy-type. "I can't believe that we've finally met."

I coughed awkwardly. They both turned on me, their smiles growing wider. A strange sort of shiver ran down my spine.

"Hello," greeted the bigger one. "I am Blissey, the Ultimate Healer!"

**Blissey~ The Ultimate Healer**

"And I am Ribombee," the other pokémon said, bowing her head. "The Ultimate Botanist."

**Ribombee~ The Ultimate Botanist**

I looked between both of them. "I'm Braixen, the Ultimate Lickster."

Ribombee looked confused. "Lickster?" she repeated.

I reddened with embarrassment. "I mean Luckster," I quickly corrected myself.

Blissey looked me over with worried eyes. "Are you alright, dear?" She asked, with a strange motherly tone. "If you need any healing don't be afraid to ask me about it?" She smiled reassuringly.

I nodded, before asking, "I was just wondering if you two knew each other?" I asked.

Ribombee nodded her head rapidly. "Of course!" she replied, not even bothering to hide this information. "We both worked at a healing center together," she explained. "I was usually the one who grew the berries and she was the one who usually used them to heal pokémon."

Blissey smiled at Ribombee. "She was one of our best people," Blissey admitted. "She managed to heal thousands of pokémon, indirectly, by growing those berries."

Ribombee blushed a deep scarlet. “It was nothing,” she muttered, looking down onto the floor. “I just helped out my family.”

Blissey frowned at her. “You should always take credit where credit is due,” she scolded.

Ribombee looked away, blushing slightly. “All right…”

“In fact-!” I tuned her out when I realized that the two had gone back to their own conversation. Those two seemed to be close if they even managed to push me out of the conversation without them even knowing.

"They seem to be quite close," someone noted next to me.

I whirled around to find myself staring at a rounded pokémon. It had a flat bill and large, round eyes. Its legs were simple ovoid growths along the sides, and its tail widens towards the middle. Its bill, legs, tail, and underside were blue and the rest of it was pink. "In fact," it continued. "If I had to say it, I'd say there are like sisters."

"And you are?" I asked.

"Porygon-2, the Ultimate Hacker," he replied. "But you can just call me Porygon."

**Porygon-2~ The Ultimate Hacker**

I frowned. "Why would-?"

"-Wigglytuff need a hacker?" Porygon's face didn't move. "That's classified information. But I can tell you that my job in this team will be extremely important.”

“How so?” I asked, still questioning the fact that the ultimate team would need a hacker.

He looked at me with cold eyes. “That’s really none of your business. All you need to know is that I’m your teammate. Anything else you would like to ask me?”

I backed away, quickly. Something about him unnerved me. I shook my head. “No,” I replied. “It’s alright.”

Porygon studied me, with a strange look on his face. "If you don't mind me asking...who are you?"

"Braixen, the Ultimate Luckster."

"Ah." He studied me with vehemence. "The _lucky_ one. Remember this warning: _Don’t_ mess up.”

I nodded. “G-got it.”

Porygon seemed pleased. "Good," he nodded, before floating away before even saying a good-bye.

I watched him go, feeling confused. "Is everybody in this team this strange?" I wondered aloud, scratching my head.

I heard someone stroll up to me. "I guess," the pokémon agreed. I turned around to find a zebra-like pokémon with its coat black with white, jagged stripes.  Its ears were like triangles with blue insides, while its eyes were blue and yellow with white eyelashes. Its nose was black, and its hooves are gray. A white, spiked mane ran across the length of its body, ending in a long tail with a starburst-shaped tip.

I frowned. "Who are you?" I asked, not wanting to get chewed out again by someone who hated the fact that I was just lucky.

He looked somewhat proud. "Zebstrika, the Ultimate Racer!" he announced, looking like he was pleased that someone asked.

**Zebstrika~ The Ultimate Racer**

"Racer?" I repeated before my eyes widened. "You mean you’re the world famous Zebstrika?!"

He smirked when I asked that question. “Yep!” he replied proudly. “I’m the one and only, Zebstrika. Would you like my autograph?”

"No," I said bluntly, noticing that his face fell almost immediately. "It's just," I continued hastily, trying to recover from my mistake. "We're going to be on this team, together right? I can get an autograph any time I want!"

Zebstrika brightened. "Really?" he said hopefully. He smirked. "Well, of course, you'd want it. I'm famous, one of the greatest racers in the world!"

I chuckled. _He seems nice,_ I thought to myself. I opened my mouth to continue our discussion, but someone or _something_ interrupted me.

"Welcome Ultimates!" A voice that sounded happy yet absolutely filled with malice, echoed throughout the main room. "I'm so glad that you've joined me to create the ultimate team to combat the despair in this world. I am the guildmaster! To continue yer orientation please meet me in the guildmaster's office, to officially create the ultimate team!" The voice, thankfully, stopped talking.

Greninja looked around in confusion. "Where's that voice coming from?" she asked, with a frown.

Metang extended his arm up, near one of the corners of the room. I followed his gaze to see a small hole carved into the wall. "It probably sends a voice all around the guild," he explained. “I can’t tell the exact details but it’s definitely some impressive technology.”

Porygon nodded. "Impressive."

"The voice said..." Ribombee spoke up. "We have to meet inside the guildmaster's office?" We all looked over to the door, near the corner of the guild, that was now slightly ajar, suddenly.

"Well let's go." Grovyle walked over and disappeared into the room. Everyone else followed him inside until it was only me, Froslass, Greninja and Porygon.

“I-I don’t l-like this,” stammered Froslass. “I-It s-sounds s-suspicious.”

“I agree,” Porygon said, with a shake of his head. “This entire situation is rather strange. This isn’t how I envisioned that our first meeting with the world-famous Wigglytuff would go.”

“However…” Greninja glanced over at the steel door covering the ladder that led up to the surface. “At the moment we can’t break open that steel door and escape, anyway.”

I nervously glanced at them all. “So, do we go…?” I asked, feeling extremely unsure of this myself.

“Yes,” confirmed Porygon, floating over to the door with Froslass following close behind.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Greninja take one last look at the steel door before leaving me behind.

With a strange feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen, I followed her.

Xxx

I walked into total confusion.

"What-?" Lucario looked around his teeth clenched in anger. "Where is Guildmaster Wigglytuff?!"

"Please look to your right!" the voice announced once again. I listened, seeing a small pile of metal collars sitting on the floor. I quickly counted, finding 16 collars in the pile. "Please put these on, before I introduce myself," the voice continued.

Most of the others quickly snapped them around their necks, arms or legs without any questions. I picked one up and studied it before snapping it around my neck.

"Can I have some help?" I turned to see Zebstrika holding a collar in his teeth. He nudged me again, a bit a red in his cheeks.

Nodding, I took the collar from his mouth and snapped it place around his neck. "Thanks," he said, shaking his head uncomfortably. "Man, these things are annoying."

"What do you think these are for?" Ribombee asked a bit tentatively, tugging at her own. It hung loosely around her own arm.

"Some sort of team badge," Metang said dismissively. "Though the design is a bit strange."

"It's now a team badge!" The voice cackled suddenly turning sinister. "It's designed to keep all of you inside here!"

Without warning, I felt the collar around my neck tighten. My arms went to my neck instinctively, trying to dislodge it, but it slowly released me from its grasp a second later. I looked around to see everyone else having the same expression on their faces. Ribombee was staring, astonished, at the now smaller collar or bracelet on her arm.

“W-What is this?!” stammered Lucario, trying to tug the collar of his neck.

A sudden giggle was heard coming from the back of the room. We all turned to face the giant desk that blocked us from the guildmaster's view, with dread churning in our stomachs.

A strange colored pokémon bounced onto the table. It certainly did look like how Wigglytuff looked like in most of the pictures, at least to me, but the coloration was completely off. The right side of it looked like a normal Wigglytuff, however, the left side was completely black and instead of a normal eye, there was a red lightning-like slash and a malicious grin spread across its face.

It waved. "Hello!" it greeted. "I'm Guildmaster Wigglytuff!"

That one sentence caused a ripple to spread across the room.

"The shit you are,” Lycanroc growled. “You ain’t Wigglytuff.”

Wigglytuff paused for a moment as if pondering on what Lycanroc had said. “I guess you’re right!” it giggled. “My name is actually Monotuff!”

“Monotuff…?” Blissey repeated, looking a bit confused. “Never heard of him.”

“Of course, you haven’t!” Monotuff said. “I’m the new guildmaster here. Wigglytuff was fired!”

“Fired?” Pelipper stared. “He was the one who created this guild! How could he get fired?!”

Monotuff tilted its head thoughtfully. "Well... I guess he was actually killed. But saying he was fired makes it seem kid-friendly don’t you think so?”

"Killed?" Metang said, with no emotion that even I could see on his face. "That's impossible! Wigglytuff is one of the world's greatest guildmasters in the world. There's no way he can die."

"Is this a prank?" asked Greninja.

I slowly turned back to Monotuff fearing its answer, as it seemed to be laughing on the inside.

"Well too bad!" Monotuff chortled. "He's dead and I'm your new Guildmaster!"

"Well then forget this," Porygon said. "I came here to work for Wigglytuff not some stupid ass rip-off of him." He turned around. "I'm leaving."

Monotuff tilted its head. "You can't, though," he said. "Didn't you all see the metal wall covering the ladder outside? It's impossible to break through it, even with a fire attack."

"We'll see about that," Porygon said dismissively, floating over to the doors.

The black and white Wigglytuff shrugged. "Well, I guess you'll miss the true instructions on how to get out of here."

Porygon froze. "What?" he asked, suddenly interested. "You mean to say there is another way?!"

Monotuff nodded. "Yep!" he said.

"Heh.” Gengar scratched his head. “Yeah, right. Someone’s bound to come and get us eventually, anyway.”

Monotuff's gaze darkened. "Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure in here no one can hear you scream."

"Isn't that space?" asked Noivern.

Monotuff shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll explain the way to get out of here since you are all begging."

"No one's begging," muttered Zebstrika.

"You have to kill someone!" Monotuff stood up and leisurely paced across the width of the room, while we backed away, trying not to get in its way. "Only the murderer gets to leave!"

I felt my heart stop.

_Kill? What does he mean by kill?_

As if reading my mind, Monotuff began to list the numerous ways someone could commit murder. "Stab!" it said. "Poison, incinerate, drown, strangle, explode, eat..." Monotuff chuckled. "All these things and more can be used to kill!"

"What the actual fuck?" Noivern glared at Monotuff. "Why would we kill?"

"To get out of course!" Monotuff stopped pacing and blushed. "It's the only way!"

"Not the only fucking way." The fury in Lycanroc’s voice scared me, as he walked up to the Guildmaster and grabbed him by the neck. He lifted him high in the air. "Let us go!" he demanded.

“Uwah!” Monotuff cried out, wailing its arms all over the place. “T-This is against the rules! No unnecessary violence against the guildmaster!”

“I think this is very necessary,” Lycanroc said coldly, holding Monotuff further into the air. I was shocked at the animosity he was suddenly showing. Even if that… _thing_ was spouting such strange things, there was no reason to threaten it like that.

As I continued to watch, Monotuff suddenly went limp. "Given up?" sneered Lycanroc. "Maybe if you take off these damn collars then I'll give you a..."

_Beep!_

Lycanroc looked around in confusion. "What was that?"

_Beep!_

"Get rid of it!" Grovyle shouted at Lycanroc, his voice laced with worry. "Now!"

"Of what!?" Lycanoc asked.

_Beep! Beep!_

Grovyle suddenly dashed forward and wrenched Monotuff out of Lycanroc’s paws. He reared it back and threw up into the air. As Monotuff flew into the air, it started to glow red as I realized that the sound was coming from it.

_Beep! Beep! Beeeeeeep!_

I ducked down and closed my eyes.

_Boom!_

I yelped and covered my ears, my eyes still closed. I fell to the ground as the pain vibrated my skull. I could still hear faint snippets from the others as they started to gather themselves from the explosion. “What the hell?” I heard someone shout, through the ringing in my ears.  
“It blew up!”

I didn’t get up, still in pain. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright?” they asked.

“I’m fine,” I answered, still holding my head, but I opened my eyes and noticed that where Grovyle had thrown Monotuff, there was now only a brunt circle. I couldn’t see any remains of the thing, anywhere.

I must’ve sounded weaker than I thought, because whoever’s hand it was, their grip tightened. “Blissey!” the person yelled. “Can you help me over here? She’s hurt!”

“ _I’m fine,_ ” I wanted to say again, but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. Blissey’s face appeared in front of me, and she waved a hand in front of my face. “Where does it hurt?” she asked.

Before I could answer, she frowned and gingerly removed the hands from my head. “She’s fine,” she told the person behind me. “She just had a little shock from the explosion. Just give her a minute.” She walked away, in order to check if anyone else got hurt.

Sure enough, the ringing began to fade from my head and I got back up on my feet. I looked around for the person who had called over Blissey a few moments before but I couldn’t find them. I was about to open my mouth to say something but I was interrupted by a loud nasally voice. “That was just a warning explosion!”

I turned and, to my surprise, I saw Monotuff sitting there all neat and pampered as if nothing had happened.

“B-B-B-But, y-you just exploded!” Pelipper stammered.

Monotuff tilted its head. “Really?” he asked.

“Yes, really,” Greninja studied it. “Are you a robot?” she asked.

“Maybe…” Monotuff chuckled mysteriously.

Zebstrika was still shaken by the recent explosion. “You could’ve killed us!” he shouted, taking a few steps back towards the door.

“Yeah… I guess I could’ve…” Monotuff said. “But I didn’t. That was just a warning!”

“The fuck??” Gengar asked with wide eyes. “That was just a warning?!”

“Heh.” A shaky smile appeared on Froslass’s face. “P-Pretty v-violent warning.”

“Yeah I guess,” agreed Monotuff. “I’ll try something else next time. Probably. Maybe. Maybe not.” He paused. “Nah…”

“What’s with the indecision?” Ribombee asked.

“I’m just that type of person,” Monotuff said holding its little stubs over where its heart would be. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Not really,” drawled Porygon.

“I agree with Mr. Duck over there,” Marowak snorted.

“I thought you were a robot?” Noivern asked, with a tilt of her head.

“Anyway!” Monotuff said, ignoring Noivern’s question outright. “That concludes the morning assembly! Will everyone please stand up?”

We could only watch with blank stares as Monotuff stood up and saluted.

_What is it doing?_

“A ONE, A TWO...A ONE-TWO-THREE!”  
_It can’t really expect us to kill, right? Commit murder?_

“ONE! DON’T IGNORE THE RULES!”

 _Is it just going to continue its stupid butchering of the guild’s famous cheer? Is it just going to stand there and act all_ innocent _?_

“TWO! KILL AND RUN AWAY!”

_I walked into this guild with one feeling: hope. Hope that I might be able to help with this team despite how average of a pokémon I am. But now all I’m feeling…_

“THREE! DESPAIR GOES FOR MILES!”

_… is despair._

* * *

Alive:

Braixen: Ultimate Luckster

Grovyle: Ultimate ???

Noivern: Ultimate Rock Star

Marowak: Ultimate Archeologist

Pelipper: Ultimate Deliveryman

Froslass: Ultimate Dancer

Lycanroc: Ultimate Berserker

Lucario: Ultimate Fighter

Blissey: Ultimate Healer

Porygon 2: Ultimate Hacker

Gengar: Ultimate Infiltrator

Zebstrika: Ultimate Racer

Metang: Ultimate Genius

Ribombee: Ultimate Botanist

Greninja: Ultimate Assassin

Dead:

None

 


	2. My World, Your Illusion (Part 1)

Chapter 1- My World, Your Illusion (Part 1) - Outside 

* * *

“We’ve got to fight back!”

“No! You saw that thing! It nearly killed us all!”

“Fuck that! Let’s just destroy the metal wall and escape!”

“There’s enough of us to launch a counterattack! We’re the Ultimate Team after all!”

“Be patient! There’s the possibility of a rescue party.”

“Treasure Town isn’t that far away after all…”

“Don’t be a pussy! That fake wants us to kill?! Let’s kill him!”

I sat in the mess hall in silence, as everyone argued around me, peeling the skin off of a Pecha Berry. I was starving after all that had happened. I absently scratched the collar that had been forced around my neck. I had nothing to say. What could I say?

“Hey.” I was suddenly nudged by Ribombee to my right. She smiled, pitifully, at me. “Are you alright?”

I didn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah. I’m alright,” I mumbled, halfheartedly, taking a small bite.

I spotted her share a look with Blissey who sat right across from us out of the corner of my eye. “Are you sure?” Blissey asked, uncertainly. “You still might be shaken from the explosion-!”

“I’m alright,” I repeated, giving them a shaky smile that clearly didn’t waive their worries. However, I just turned my attention back to my dinner, keeping an ear to the discussion that was happening around me.

“Marowak,” Greninja said, turning to the Ultimate Archeologist. “You’re a ground type. Can you dig out of here to escape?”

Marowak shrugged. “Possibly. I’ll need some time to find the right spot, but I could dig through rock, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” She grinned. “Don’t ya worry! I got this!”

Metang looked a bit unconvinced to me, but he leaned over to Porygon and whispered a few words to him, before he spotted me staring at him. I quickly averted my eyes, my attention now firmly on the pecha berry in my paw.

“Whoa!!” Everyone, including me, paused and looked over to Zebstrika, who had a small flat see-through paper thing floating in front of him. “Cool!”

It took a moment for everyone to process what was happening.

Lucario immediately scrambled back. “W-what is that thing?!” he cried. “Is it more of that fake’s magic?!”

“Y-You d-dumbass!” Froslass stammered. “W-what did you do?! A-are you trying to k-kill me?!”

Zebstrika gave everyone a strange look. “Well… I don’t know. But it came from the collar I was wearing,” he explained. “The ones we can’t take off?”

“Hmm.” Metang glanced at the collar that he had placed around his arm and tapped it tentatively, as a similar floating opaque piece of paper appeared in front of Metang. “It’s a hologram,” he informed the others.

I frowned. “A hologram?” I asked, the word completely unfamiliar to me.

“Yes.” Metang tapped the paper in front of him and, again to my surprise, it was tangible. As Metang swiped his claws to the right, the image changed. “Think of it like a computer screen that can appear anywhere and responds to your touch.” He glanced to Porygon behind him. “Do you know what this means?”

Porygon’s eyes gleamed. “Yes,” he said smugly. “Don’t worry. I’ll get right on it and have it cracked by the end of the day.” He floated out of the mess hall, snickering childishly to himself.

“There should be a small button somewhere on your collars, though I suspect it may also work by doing certain gestures,” Metang instructed.

I felt around my neck for a couple of second, before finding what Metang was talking about. I pressed it with a satisfying _click_ and the hologram appeared in front of me. After taking a moment to be amazed, I examined the small screen. It didn’t contain much, just my personal information. Weight. Height. Gender. The kinds of moves I had under my belt…

I raised a brow at that. How did this hologram know that?

I copied Metang’s movements and swiped my hand along the screen, as the entire window changed before my eyes. This time it had what I recognized to be a map of the guild hall. With my digits, I could manipulate how big or small the map could be along with where it was. In the corner, the floor was marked. “B2F?” I muttered, recognizing the combination of letters and number. It was how exploration teams often marked the floors of a mystery dungeon. Granted it wasn’t used for buildings since they tended to have a relatively small floor count.

 _That begs the question though,_ I thought, recalling the fact that there were two ladders blocked off in the main hall. _How deep did this guild go?_

I swiped the hologram again, surprised to see a lengthy list written in footprint runes. “Rules,” I heard Gengar grumble in the background, apparently not very happy with the discovery.

I scanned the list. It was a rather long list.

  1. **Guildmembers may only reside within the boundaries of Treasure Town and Wigglytuff’s Guild.**
  2. **Nighttime occurs from between 10 P.M and 7 A.M. Some areas are off-limits during nighttime, so please exercise caution.**
  3. **Sleeping anywhere aside from your assigned rooms is against Guild policy and will be strictly punished if broken.**
  4. **Violence against Guildmaster Monotuff is prohibited and will be punished.**
  5. **Anyone who kills a fellow guild member will become “blackened,” and may be granted with escape as long as no one discovers their crime.**
  6. **More rules will be added at the Guildmaster’s discretion.**



The last rule made a chill run down my spine. I instinctively raised my head and looked behind me, with a sudden fear that someone was coming up from behind with a knife. Of course, there wasn’t anything like that and instead, I was just staring at Pelipper, who gave me a strange look.

“Incredible,” Metang said, in amazement. “There’s even a time-keeping device stored within one of these. At the moment, it seems to be… 4:24 PM. If my estimate is correct then that should be around late evening when the sun is about three-fourths of its way across the sky.”

I gave him an amazed look. “That’s incredible…” I muttered.

“Uh-huh.” Grovyle snorted. “How does that help our situation in any way?”

“Urgh…” Lucario tugged at the collar around his neck. “I don’t like this. Wasn’t this an old human way of telling time?”

“That it was,” Metang answered.

“We can’t trust this sort of thing,” Lucario snapped. “We’ve got to find a way to get rid of it somehow!”

Lycanroc snickered. “Scared wimp?” he asked.

“I-I’m n-not!” Lucario stammered back. “The Ultimate Fighter knows no fear!”

“Urgh,” Froslass grumbled. “I-I h-hate guys w-who need to o-overcompensate.”

“I’m actually more interested in the rules,” Marowak said. “It says that we can visit Treasure Town. Yet isn’t the ladder been blocked off by that metal gate.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Monotuff said. “I just didn’t want you lot to miss the morning meeting by heading to Treasure Town.”

“Oh, is that all? Does that mean that the gate is now op…” Marowak paused.

“Waugh!!”

We all jumped back away from the table. Monotuff had appeared out of nowhere and now had its feet firmly planted in the middle of the berry salad. It seemed amused by our surprise and covered its strange mouth with its stubby hands, stifling some laughter. “What’s wrong?”

“Y-You,” Zebstrika stuttered. “Did you use Teleport?!”

“Maybe…?” Monotuff said mysteriously.

“Um… that’s not exactly a straight answer…” Ribombee nervously pointed out. “Plus, I don’t think wigglytuffs can learn the move Teleport.”

“That’s besides the point, besides the point!” Monotuff said. “The more important point is that I’ve unlocked the ladder that’ll lead you outside. Aren’t you going to use it?”

“Yo…” Noivern said nervously. “This ain’t a trap, right?”

“Of course not! Would your Guildmaster ever lie to you?!”

Noivern blinked. “Well I mean you’re the one who told us to kill each other,” she muttered.

“Are you back-talking missy?” Monotuff growled.

“N-No!” Noivern quickly said.

“This is pointless,” Metang interrupted. “Monotuff. You said the route to Treasure Town was open? Are you allowing us to try and escape?”

“Yes, and yes!” Monotuff quickly answered.

“But why?” Greninja asked. “I thought you intended to keep us in here until your deranged idea of killing started.”

“Nyehehehehe! Who knows what I’ve got planned…?” And as quickly as it arrived, Monotuff disappeared.

“So, he does know Teleport…” Zebstrika grumbled.

“So, are we going?” Blissey asked, eyeing Metang. Everyone else, including me, turned to him.

Metang nodded. “Yes,” he said. “No need to tell Porygon, however, it’d be better if we didn’t bother his work. Getting these collars off is his priority.”

“Who gives a shit?” Lycanroc snorted, suddenly. “That little faker just gave us a way out?! What are we even waiting for?!” He pushed past Metang and left the Mess Hall, grabbing a pecha berry along the way.

“I-Impatient m-much?!” Froslass scowled, quickly following the rock-type. Others began to file out of the Mess Hall, until I was the last one left, alone.

I looked down at the floor, as my stomach turned. Is Monotuff really just allowing us to escape? Did he perhaps realize that asking everyone to kill each other wasn’t plausible?

A small bit of hope filled my heart. I was going to get out of this nightmare before it ever began. I allowed myself to laugh a bit.

Killing each other? Yeah, right. As if that would ever happen.

My spirits now a bit lighter, I followed my guild members out of the Mess Hall.

xXx

I took no more than two steps from the entrance of the guild hall before the reality of the situation hit me square in the head.

I looked up, where a large wall made from some sort of metal surrounded us as far as I could see. Above, I could still see the sky, but a large black cage encased us inside. “W-What’s going on?” I managed to ask, gazing up in complete horror.

“Ah, so this is what he meant,” Metang grimaced. “He didn’t have any intention for us to leave after all.”

“This isn’t possible…” Marowak. “I’ve never seen a structure so large…” Her eyes lit up. “It’s beautiful!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Lucario cried. “Even if we’re outside there’s still no way to escape! What’s the point in even letting us out then?”

“Hmph.” Pelipper smirked in the background. “Just who do you think you are with? I am Pelipper! The Ultimate-!”

“Yo, I think I can fly up there and escape!” Noivern interrupted with a huge grin. “Just give me a couple of minutes!” With that she took off into the sky, rocketing up.

“W-wait for me!” Pelipper quickly flew up himself, albeit at a much slower pace than Noivern.

We all watched them go, flying straight towards. Noivern was speeding towards the sky, while Pelipper lagged. “They’ll be fine,” Greninja said, moving past the group and down the stairs. “In the meantime, the rest of us should investigate.”

“As much as I hate to say it,” Gengar piped up. “We’d better split up. Treasure Town is just too big to get through if we’re all moving in one huge group.”

“Agreed,” Metang said. “But Gengar, since you’re a ghost type, do you think it would be possible to try and phase through the metal?”

Gengar blinked before he grinned. “I could definitely try to go through the metal. It didn’t work while we were in the guild, but there’s no harm in trying.” He headed down the stairs and took a left, quickly disappearing.

“As for the rest of us,” Metang said addressing the rest of the group, just as Lycanroc just stomped right past the Ultimate Genius, down the stairs and take a right. Metang took a solitary look at his retreating back and ignored Lycanroc. “I guess we’ll search Treasure Town.”

A murmur of agreement ran through the small crowd and everyone began to split into groups and head into Treasure Town. “Um…” I tried to catch the attention of Blissey or Ribombee but the two of them quickly bounded down the steps, completely missing me.

 _Or they purposely ignored me_ , I couldn’t help but think.

I shook my head. There was no use in thinking like that.

I was the last one left standing in front of the Guild. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I headed towards Treasure Town.

xXx

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked around at the Crossroads I had found myself in. “Alright, Braixen,” I muttered to myself, eyeing my options. I could either head south towards the beach and cove, east towards Gengar and the edge of the wall or to the west towards Treasure Town. After mulling it over for a few seconds, I headed to the left towards Gengar.

This path was the same path I had used when I had first arrived at Treasure Town and presumably a lot of the other pokémon. Of course, when I had walked down it, there wasn’t a large wall blocking me and a large building shaped like Pelipper’s head.

I paused. “Is this… supposed to be a post office?” I wondered aloud.

“I’d assume so.” I jumped about a foot into the air, as Gengar appeared right next to me. “What’s wrong?!” he asked, looking a bit confused at my reaction.

“Nothing,” I nervously said. “I was just startled.”

Gengar gave me a strange look, something I seem to be receiving a lot of lately. “Well if you’re here to ask me about potential escape I’m going to have to disappoint you.” He gestured towards the large wall that ended the path. “I can’t phase through it.” He scratched his head. “It’s… kinda the first time that’s ever happened to be honest,” he admitted.

I swallowed. “Do you know why?” I asked.

“Something with the metal,” Gengar guessed. “I’m not expert on this. But…” He turned his attention to the large building shaped and designed like Pelipper’s head. “This is definitely a post office. You think it might still be working?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “But what’s a post office doing here? I don’t remember one being here.”

“I can answer that!” Monotuff appeared out of nowhere, jumping right into my face. “That’s called an Ultimate Gym!”

I took several steps back. “Ultimate Gym?” I asked.

“Yep, yep!” Monotuff nodded. “Each guild member has their own gym located either in the town or in the guild that is built to train or help with their specific talents. Take this building for instance.” It gestured to the building in front of us. “This is here for the Ultimate Deliveryman, hence why it’s a post office!”

“That’s awesome!” Gengar beamed. “Is there one for me?!”

“Upupupu!” Monotuff giggled. “Sorry, you’ll have to wait your turn. There’s only a few of them available at the moment. I’m renovating them to suit you needy little bastards. So just be patient!”

Gengar seemed to deflate. “Aww…”

I pieced together what it had said. “So, if this is the Ultimate Gym for the Pelipper then does this mean we can’t go in?” I asked to make sure.

“Nope, Nope!” Monotuff shook its head. “Anyone can come and go through an Ultimate Gym. Of course, it can be locked from the inside, so you young’uns can do whatever you please inside.” It chuckled. “I ain’t going to judge!”

“W-what do you think we’re going to do inside?” I asked. “Are you really that perverted?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gengar look away his face slightly lighter. I sighed. “Never mind,” I finally muttered.

Monotuff’s grin seemed to stretch. “Oh, thank god,” it breathed. “I’ve already have had to say these three times. I don’t want to say it another fifteen times before it finally registers in y’all dumbasses brains!” Its piece said it disappeared from my eyes.

“M-man,” Gengar said, awkwardly. “Too bad none of us can use Teleport. We’d probably already be out of here.”

 “Mm.” I made a small noise in agreement and headed towards the front doors of the Deliveryman Gym. Pushing one open and walking into the large building, I wasn’t really that surprised. It was what I had expected from a post office. It was a large open area with a long counter cut straight through the middle of the room. Behind the counter were many selves attached to the walls, filled to the brim with paper and letters.

“Whoa.” Gengar walked right behind me, gaping at the sight around us. “This is actually pretty nice. I wonder what my Ultimate Gym will have.”

I nodded. “Or mine,” I mumbled. Was being lucky (or in this case unlucky) really that good of a talent?

“What’s this?!” Pelipper’s voice suddenly piped up from behind us, so Gengar and I turned around to see him standing there in the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Pelipper seemed to hesitate. “I can’t keep up with that crazy bat,” he grumbled. “I’m not suited to flying at that speed or that height. I barely made it to the top of the wall.”

Gengar raised an eyebrow. “And…?” he poked.

“…” Pelipper looked a bit down. “I-It’s covered in glass.”

I blinked. “You mean it’s like a window?” I asked.

“I think so?” Pelipper said, with a sigh. “When I looked through it though there wasn’t a pokémon in sight and all I could see was a flat grassland.” He scratched his head. “I lost Noivern after that but I noticed my glorious head here and I just had to check it out!”

I frowned. “So, you found nothing,” I asked tentatively.

Pelipper seemed to sag. “Basically,” he answered.

My stomach churned. “So those that mean no one will be coming for us?” I asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Pelipper replied. He perked up after a few seconds, however. “Maybe there’s a different way out in Treasure Town!” He suggested, brightly.

“Maybe…” I replied, unsure. “I haven’t been there yet.”

“I think I’ll keep checking the wall on this side,” Gengar said. “Maybe there’s some way I can still get out! I still haven’t tried everything yet!” He blinked. “Actually, Braixen. Do you know any fire-type moves? Maybe we can burn our way through the wall!”

I faltered. “I-I’m sorry,” I apologized, looking down at my feet. “I only know Ember.”

“Oh.” I noticed a flash of disappointment run through Gengar’s face before it was quickly replaced with his normal grin. “Then I’ll just continue with my job! See ya!” With a wave to Pelipper and I, he left the Deliveryman Gym.

“So, is this mine?” Pelipper gazed around the post office. “Huh. It’s nice, but it could definitely use a more sexy touch.”

“Um… what?” I blinked.

He turned to glare at me. “Out! Out! Out!” He pushed me out of the gym with surprising strength and locked the door behind me.

“H-huh?” I stood in front of the doors with no real clue as to what had just happened. “I guess I’ll just go to Treasure Town, then…?” I said to no one in particular. I spun around on my heels and walked back towards the Crossroads and towards Treasure Town.

xXx

Treasure Town was just as I remembered it. Except now it was a ghost town.

I walked past Duskull’s Bank and paused in the center of the clearing. I looked around and frowned. There were clearly some things that had been changed. The Day Care and Dojo I had visited before had disappeared, with nothing left in their place. Instead, in between Electivire’s Link Shop and Duskull’s Bank there was a new building that I didn’t recognize.

It looked a lot like a small prison. The door was made of steel and the two windows were barred with steel bars. The entire building was made from stone. “Is that supposed to be another Ultimate Gym?” I wondered aloud.

“Ah, so you’ve heard about them from Monotuff?” Marowak was nearby and smiled at me.

I nodded.

“Well, just a fair warning dear,” she said. “But you don’t want to go anywhere near that one.”

I frowned. “Who’s is it?” I asked.

“Who else’s?” she shot back. “It’s for the Ultimate Berserker. Lycanroc.”

“Urk!” I flinched.

“Yeah, I’d avoid going in there for now,” she said. “Lycanroc was pretty ecstatic about it and he already told the rest of us not to bother him.”

“T-Thanks for the warning,” I said.

“No problem. Anything to help a lass in need.” Marowak winked. “Anyway, where are you heading to next, missus?”

“Probably just tour the rest of Treasure Town,” I replied, with a smile. Marowak was actually pretty nice. “I looked around before I went to Wigglytuff’s Guild, but I never really got to do anything here. Plus…” I looked around at the eerily quiet town. “It’s kinda spooky, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Marowak said with a nod of her head. “I’ve seen many abandoned cities and ruins during my travels, but seeing this town left in this state? It breaks my heart. I even knew Xatu personally.” She frowned. “He wasn’t one to skip town for no reason.”

“Everyone’s really gone?” I asked as I walked across the bridge with Marowak following me. I wasn’t too surprised by this fact, but it was still jarring to find out that the fifteen of us were the only ones left in town. “Do you think they skipped town or something?”

“No idea,” Marowak answered. “I would say that, but a lot of things don’t add up.” She gestured to the nearby Kecleon’s Shop. “Kecleon’s Shop still has all of its items still inside and there isn’t anything around here to suggest that they left in a hurry or were kidnapped.” She scratched her head. “Nothing about this adds up, to be perfectly honest.” Marowak stopped in front of Kangaskhan’s Storage.

“You don’t think…” I said in a low voice, nervously. “Monotuff didn’t kill them.”

“Impossible,” Marowak dismissed. “There would be some sort of sign of such a thing. No matter what, that little faker ain’t powerful enough to wipe out an entire town without any sort of evidence.” She clapped me on the back, causing me to stumble. “Don’t worry about it, Braixen! I’m sure the people of the town are completely safe.”

I winced. “What makes you so sure?”

Marowak grinned. “I’m the Ultimate Archeologist! Things like this are my specialty. Granted I’d prefer bones…” She licked her lips. “But I guess it can’t be helped.”

“R-right…” I looked around. “Do you know where everyone else is?” I asked.

Marowak took a second to think. “Froslass and I split up pretty quickly, so I have no idea where she is.” She rubbed her skull with her club. “The others I think are either on the beach or on Sharpedo’s Bluff. There’s another Ultimate Gym over there.”

“Huh?” I blinked. “Who’s is it?”

She snorted. “No idea,” Marowak grunted. “It seemed too perfect for me to be interested.”

 _Perfect?_ I wondered. _What is that supposed to even mean?_

I bowed politely. “T-Thank you for your help!” I said instead.

Marowak snorted. “You’re really timid, aren’t you?” she asked, before whirling around, without giving me a chance to say anything. “Oh well, it’s not my problem. Have fun!” Before I could stop her, she had already raced towards Xatu’s appraisal.

“What was she…?” I muttered confused.

xXx

Sharpedo’s Bluff was a large cliff side on the west side of Treasure Town that was right above the beach. I gazed down at the sea from the cliff’s edge and backed away, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. “If someone fell down from there…” I muttered. “Then. Then… Ugh.” I held my head.

I was thinking about this a bit too much. There was no way someone would kill another person. Even if they were trapped here, the very idea… Ugh.

I looked away from the sea and focused my attention on the large greenhouse behind me, which I assumed was the final Ultimate Gym. “It’s probably for…” I mumbled, thinking back on who’s it could be. “Ribombee.”

I pushed open the clear doors to the greenhouse and immediately began to sweat. The air inside was extremely humid. And while as a Fire-type I preferred it over the cold, this type of humidity wasn’t exactly my favorite.

As I wiped some sweat off of my forehead, one of the people inside the greenhouse suddenly spotted me standing near the doors. “Braixen!” Zebstrika cried, bounding over towards me with surprising speed. My mind froze as I watched him run towards me, but he stopped right before he could crash into me. “Isn’t this place neat! We’ve got all the exotic berries we need now!” He grinned, clearly unaware of how close he was to killing me.

“Y-yeah,” I agreed, deciding it best to avoid the fact that I was fine with the normal pecha berries. “Is this-?”

“Yes.” Greninja was nearby, watering some nearby flowers. “This is the Ultimate Botanist Gym. Ribombee was just in here a while ago. You just missed her.”

I frowned and looked around the greenhouse. “Then where is she now?”

“With the others on the beach,” Zebstrika explained. “Metang thought we could try to escape through Beach Cave.”

“But… isn’t that a mystery dungeon?” I asked.

“It is,” Greninja answered, stoically. “But if there’s a chance for escape then we must take it.”

“But what about the sea?” I pointed out. “Couldn’t you swim out of here whenever you wanted.”

Greninja closed her eyes with a sigh. “I’ve already tried that, but it’s no use. The wall extends out there too. I couldn’t swim under or over it and as far as I can tell there’s no way around it.”

“Are you sure you just haven’t thoroughly checked it?” I asked desperately, flinching when Greninja glared at me.

“Do you doubt me?” she asked threateningly, raising a webbed hand.

“N-No,” I stammered. “I-I’m sorry. I just really don’t want to stay here.”

“Those type of feelings are exactly what that Monotuff wants,” Greninja lectured. “The moment you fall prey to those wants is the moment that you try attempting to kill someone yourself.”

I gulped. “I’m sorry,” I repeated.

Zebstrika looked between me and Greninja. “Hey now. We’ll get out of here!” He nudged me. “Don’t worry about it Braixen. I doubt anyone here really intends to kill!”

“Y-you’re right,” I said.

“Do you really think you should be saying that while the Ultimate Assassin is in here with you?” Greninja asked. She chuckled at the surprised looks we gave her. “I was only joking,” she assured us. “Currently, I have no reason to kill anyone here.”

“That’s… good,” I said, not liking the fact that she had used the word “ _currently_.”

“In any case, the group who searched Beach Cave should be back by now,” Greninja said. “We’re planning on meeting back in the Mess Hall. Do you want to follow us back?”

“You’re walking ahead,” Zebstrika mumbled under his breath.

I hesitated for a moment. “Sure,” I replied, moving aside to let Greninja through the doors first. I didn’t want to admit it but Zebstrika was kinda right. I would prefer it if Greninja took the lead.

If what Zebstrika and I were intending was obvious to her, Greninja didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she just chuckled again and took the lead, as Zebstrika and I followed her.

xXx

I say next to Zebstrika looking at Metang as the very first Ultimate Team meeting began. Under horrible circumstances, unfortunately, but still the idea of all these ultimates gathered in one place, still slightly raised my spirits.

Slightly.

Metang rapped his claws on the edge of the table, silencing the rest of the small conversations and drawing attention to himself. He gazed at everyone with a solemn look. “I guess this begins the first every meeting of the Ultimate Exploration Team,” he said. “We’ll start with Porygon.”

Porygon lifted himself a bit higher and gave Metang a short bow. “Thank you,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to actually hack into these collars quickly. Without it’ll take quite some time, I’m afraid.”

“Heh,” Froslass smirked. “C-Can’t d-do much c-can you?”

“Please don’t insinuate that I can’t do it at all,” Porygon said, coldly. “I just lack the necessary materials needed to do it quickly. I should be able to do it in another few weeks.”

‘A few weeks?!” Lycanroc pounded the table. “You little-!”

“Enough,” Metang said shortly, silencing Lycanroc with a scowl. “Gengar did you…?”

“No,” the Ultimate Infiltrator grumbled, staring at the floor.

“Very well.” Metang turned to Noivern and Pelipper. “How about the sky?”

Noivern scowled. “The entire thing is covered in glass, so we can’t fly out of here,” she answered. “Plus, when I looked out from it, I couldn’t see any pokémon. Usually, when I call my fans they come running, haha!” She laughed.

“Hm...” Metang seemed to be thinking, so I grabbed another pecha berry and chewed on it as he began to speak again. “Beach Cave was a dead end. So, unless there’s some other way, we’re stuck here.”

Silence.

_Ding Dong! Ding Dong!_

We all looked up startled by the sudden noise, as Monotuff’s voice rang through the building. “Ahem, may I please have your attention? It is now currently nighttime! Please have an enjoyable night!” The voice disappeared.

“Nighttime?” Lucario asked, looking surprised.

“That would mean its 10 PM,” Metang said, checking his “badge,” for information. “Yep. 10:01 PM. I guess Monotuff is keeping to his schedule.”

“Aw, man this is BS,” Noivern grumbled. “I’m hate sleeping during the night. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Sleep anyway,” Lucario said, with a sigh. “We’ll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We’ve still got to look for a way out!”

“But…” Pelipper said. “What’s the point if there isn’t a way of escape?”

“That’s…” Lucario seemingly did not have an answer.

Another painful few seconds of silence passed the group until Metang suddenly clapped his claws together. “Let’s all get some rest,” he said, mirroring Lucario’s suggestion from a few moments ago. “There is no point in dwelling on this. For now, rest and regaining our energy should be our priority.”

After a second of hesitation passed, we all nodded and walked out of the mess hall to our individual rooms.

My room was actually the first one from the hall and just across from Grovyle. I muttered a short, “Good night,” to him before entering my quarters. After a second thought, I locked the door by pressing a small button located on the knob of my door.

I took another look around the- _my_ bedroom, before collapsing into the straw that consisted of my bed, curling up into a ball.

_I just want to go home._

I closed my eyes, exhausted, and quickly fell into sleep.

xXx

The next morning, it was quiet in the mess hall. No one really was saying anything and just preferred to eat their breakfast quietly. Of course, not everyone was in the mess hall. Metang had gone with some of the others to check Beach Cave again and Pelipper and Ribombee were in their respective gyms.

At least it was enjoyably quiet, till Lycanroc walked into the mess hall.

He scanned the room, before locking his gaze on me. He stomped over and scowled. “You. I need you to do something for me.”

Immediately the atmosphere of the mess hall changed and everyone was looking at Lycanroc suspiciously. I swallowed. “What do you want?” I asked warily.

“You’re not thinking of-?!” Zebstrika started to ask, before Lycanroc gave him a glare, silencing him.

“He can’t,” Greninja said, speaking up. “The rules explicitly state that if the murderer is discovered then they cannot leave. If he did kill Braixen then we would instantly know who the culprit is and Lycanroc wouldn’t be allowed to leave.”

“I know that!” Lycanroc growled. “I was just going to ask her to help me move some stuff in my gym.”

“Why me?” I asked.

Lycanroc rolled his eyes. “Because, you’re the only one here that can help me,” he snorted. “Or are you telling me that you’re a fire-type with not fire-type moves?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” I asked indignantly, before realizing the situation that I had put myself in.

Lycanroc grinned and grabbed my arm, before beginning to drag me out of the mess hall. “Good! You’ll be perfect then!” I gave a desperate look to the others in the mess hall but was only met with pity. No one wanted to deal with Lycanroc.

When the two of us were finally aboveground, he finally let go of my arm. I massaged it while giving Lycanroc the coldest glare I could muster. “What do you need my fire for?” I asked again.

“Need you to melt some metal,” Lycanroc answered, vaguely. “Plus, after you’re done with that, you can help me organize some of my shit.” He gave me an annoyed look. “That answer your question.”

“Somewhat,” I muttered under my breath while nodding. He seemed satisfied with that answer and led me over to the Ultimate Berserker Gym. The door had been left open and we walked in.

It wasn’t too impressive. It reminded me of a prison cell. There were two large sinks in the corner of the Gym and there were some shelves filled with a variety of braces and uniforms. Punching bags hung from the ceiling and the entire room gave off a chilling vibe. There were several boxes shoved into the corner.

“So, what do you need me to do?” I asked, ready to get out of here as fast as I could.

Lycanroc shoved a box into my arms. “You’re helping me build,” he said. “I want this built before lunch. Got it?”

I blinked. “But-!”

“I’ll deal with the other box,” he said, interrupting me. “With us working together we’ll be able to finish it in another three hours.” He started to turn around but paused. “Oh yeah, I don’t have any nails so you’ll have to use fire to meld the metal together.”

I made a face but relented by opening the box. There were large pieces of metal inside the box along with an instruction manual. As I took out each piece and placed them on the ground, I glanced at Lycanroc. “How did you get these?” I asked, curiously.

“Eh.” Lycanroc didn’t even spare me a look. “These have been here since yesterday,” he answered. “Monotuff said that he didn’t have the time to set it up or whatever. Little ass.” He shrugged. “Granted at the very least it lets me do something while I’m stuck here.”

The manual said to start heading up the metal to mold them, so I placed them on the ground and pointed my stick at them, as a fire lit itself atop it. “We probably won’t be here for long,” I said lightly. “At the very least, there’s gotta be a rescue party coming some time. My family…” My voice broke and I fell into silence. I missed them all already…

Lycanroc was also silent. “I can’t stay here,” he said. “I’m getting out of here no matter what.”

I looked up at him alarmed. “What?”

“I’m getting out of here,” he repeated. “That damn faker isn’t keeping me trapped in here forever.” He gritted his teeth. “I guarantee it.”

I scooted away from him and continued to work on fusing together the metal.

xXx

Lycnaroc’s estimate was slightly off. It had taken about _four_ hours to pass before either of us were done with either of our projects. After that we took a step back from the fruits of our labor and I was instantly hit with disappointment as I realized what exactly I had built. “Exercise equipment?!” I spluttered out incredulously.

Lycanroc grinned. “Yep!” He scratched his head. “Man thank god there’s a fire-type here. I didn’t know what I would’ve fucking done without one.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.

“Huh?!” He glared at me. “You say something?!”

“N-Nope!” I quickly said, raising my arms.

Lycanroc ignored me, instead marveling the equipment I had helped him make. “Now that this is here, I can-!”

_Ding Dong! Ding Dong!_

I looked up with some confusion. “It’s not nighttime,” I said, quickly checking the time using my collar.

“This is an official order from Guildmaster Monotuff!” Monotuff’s voice echoed throughout the room. “Please meet me in the Guildmaster’s office right away. Lateness will not be tolerated!”

“Urgh.” Lycanroc scratched his head. “What does that fuck want now?” he grumbled, sauntering out of the Ultimate Berserker Gym.

With another look around the gym, I followed.

xXx

“You’re late!” Monotuff jumped into my face the moment I entered the Guildmaster’s office. “You’re late! You’re late!”

I recoiled. “S-sorry!” I managed to squeak out. “I was helping Lycanroc!”

“Excuses!” Monotuff cried as it waved its stubs in my face. “Not allowed!”

“I’m sorry!” I repeated desperately.

“She apologized,” Lucario shouted at Monotuff, glaring angrily at the bear. “Let it go.”

“Hmph.” Monotuff turned its back on me and waddled over to its bundle of hay, before turning back to us. “I have made a mistake.” It looked down at the floor, seemingly ashamed. “I’m so sorry. A Guildmaster shouldn’t do this to his guild members.”

“Hell yeah, you made a mistake,” Lycanroc muttered under his breath. “You exist.”

“S-So…” Froslass said. “Y-You’re going to l-let us g-go?”

“Huh?” Monotuff looked surprised at Froslass’s question. “Why would I do that?”

“Tch.” Froslass scowled and looked away.

“So, what’s this mistake that you are referring to?” Metang asked.

“I forgot to give you a motive,” Monotuff said sadly.

“A… motive?” I blinked. _What was that?_

“A motive for murder,” answered Monotuff, as a large screen like our collars dropped from the ceiling. On it read a counter that said, “1,000,000.” “Here it is!” Monotuff announced spreading its arms out with obvious glee.

“What is that supposed to be?” Greninja asked.

“…Oh. I forgot to give the pictures out.” Monotuff began to walk among the group, handing each of them a small slip of paper.

Pictures?

Monotuff handed me a piece of paper and I immediately flipped it over. My chest tightened when I realized what was on it.

On the piece of paper was an incredibly realistic drawing of my two parents and my seven siblings, all standing in front of our den and smiling without me. A small number “9,” had been written on the corner of the paper. “W-What is this?” I heard Ribombee choke out.

“Your motive!” Monotuff repeated, as nearly everyone turned to him with a glare.

“Hmmm…” Marowak looked over the piece of paper in her hands. “This is a picture,” she explained. “A type of human technology that involved capturing a moment in time. But…” She looked rather impressed. “I’m pretty sure this technology was lost with humans. How…?”

“That doesn’t matter!” Monotuff announced. “However, I’m sure you all have noticed the number on the corner of your picture. That corresponds to this!” It pointed to the screen that displayed the counter. “That is the number of pokémon close to you that I have taken hostage!”

Its words had an immediate effect on us. Most of us gave it a pretty dull look while some others looked terrified. “That is impossible,” Metang said smoothly. “We haven’t seen anybody else in Treasure Town the entire time we’ve been here and I cannot fathom how you could kidnap that many pokémon.”

“Well…” Monotuff tilted its head. “Do you have any proof that I didn’t?”

Metang seemed to hesitate. “No.”

“Regardless,” Porygon began to speak. “This isn’t much of a motive. You’re asking us to concede to the idea that you somehow kidnapped our friends and family and holding them in a prison somewhere, correct?”

Monotuff nodded.

“Bullshit!” Noivern cried, ready to fly at it. “Let them go!”

Gengar pulled her back. “Calm down,” he hissed. “The stupid thing could be lying.”

“Anyway, that’s only Part One!” Monotuff announced.

“Part… One?” Pelipper had gone pale.

“Yes, Part One!” Monotuff repeated. “Which should happen right… about… _now_.”

I held my breath as the number on the screen ticked down from “1,000,000” to “999,999.” Everyone was still, waiting to see what exactly would happen.

My collar let out a couple of sparks.

Immediately, my entire body was racked with pain, as I felt myself get electrocuted. I felt myself let out a large scream, but I could hear nothing but my own thoughts and the pounding of my head.

_It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! IT HURTS!_

And as quickly as it had come, it was gone. My entire body was shaking and tingling. I couldn’t move, so I just fell to my knees and onto the floor, my mind whirling. I couldn’t keep a coherent thought in my head, but I could hear some of the others racing to my side or confronting Monotuff.

“What the hell was that?!!” I heard Grovyle cry.

“Hmph.” Marowak snorted. “Electrocution.”

“Braixen!” I heard Zebstrika cry out, his voice laced with fear.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” Monotuff’s laughter reverberated through my skull. “Now _that’s_ how you make a good motive!”

“What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?” I heard Noivern repeat behind me.

“Asshole!” Lycanroc had cried.

“You monster!” Lucario cried at the same time.

My vision began to go spotty and I could feel myself slipping away…

“She’s…clo…her ey…!” Ribombee shouted desperately. I could barely hear their voices anymore…

“It’s…ne!” Blissey shouted. “She… unconscious!”

And then one annoying voice that I had grown to loathe rang out louder than the rest. “This is the first motive for all ye bastards!” Monotuff announced. “Every single day, at noon exact, if no one is murdered then this number will go down by one and one random pokémon that you bastards care about will be killed! Depending on which hostage is killed the one who was closest to them will be electrocuted. And the moment that the number of people that you care about ticks down to zero…” I could hear him chuckling. “Upupupu… You _die_.”

I blacked out.

 


	3. My World, Your Illusion (Part 2)

Chapter 2: My World, Your Illusion- Plus One, Minus One

xXx

_“A letter?” I asked my mother, a Delphox, looking slightly confused. I had never received one before, especially given the fact that we lived on the outskirts of a large forest. Most of the pokémon in the forest wasn’t friendly to outsiders so most pokémon tended to avoid where I lived._

_“Mhm.” My mother nodded and handed me and a thin slip of paper. I grabbed it and quickly scanned the contents before my older brother snatched it from my paws with his mouth. “Hey!”_

_He took a glance at the letter. “An Ultimate Team?” The quilava asked, giving my mother a strange look._

_Delphox gingerly took the letter from him and handed it back to me. “Straight from Wigglytuff himself. They said she was chosen out of luck but…” She smiled down at me. “There is no such thing as luck. Only fate.” She hugged me. “I’m sure you’ll do great things, my daughter,” she whispered, as the rest of my siblings and father exchanged confused looks._

_“What are….?” I tried to ask before everything turned to black._

xXx

I opened my eyes, suddenly, startling Zebstrika who stumbled back with a surprised cry. “B-Braixen?!” he cried, before quickly taking a couple of breaths. “Jeez, you scared me…”

I sat up and glanced around my surroundings while holding my head. “What… what happened?” I asked the dream I just had still replaying itself in my mind.

“You blacked out,” Zebstrika explained. “Monotuff shocked you and Blissey said that you collapsed from the pain. Everyone’s been taking turns keeping an eye on you.” He let out another sigh, this time of relief. “Thank god though. I thought you were pretty much dead at that point.”

“Dead?” I blinked and suddenly sprang up to my feet. “W-wait! Didn’t Monotuff say that-!?” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

Zebstrika looked away. “We don’t know for sure,” he said nervously. “We haven’t seen anyone else here or in Treasure Town this entire time. Monotuff could be lying for all we know. I wouldn’t worry about it, Braixen.”

I simply nodded, unable to wrap my head around it. “Y-you’re right,” I stammered out. I shook my head. “How long have I been out?” I asked. Given that I had woken up in my room, I could assume that the others had carried me here.

“A full day,” Zebstrika answered. “It’s almost noon.” He seemed to hesitate. “Metang said we should all meet up before it got to that time so that we’re all together when the number ticks down again.” He gave me an awkward look. “So, are you fine to go or…?”

I hesitated but nodded. “I-I’m fine,” I replied, wincing slightly. “I can go.”

“Alright.” Zebstrika seemed to brighten up, as he headed towards the door. He stopped at the entrance and looked at me, still slightly worried. “I… hope your family is alright,” he said quickly leaving my room.

I clutched my chest and rubbed my eyes of the tears that had begun to spring up.

_Please… please let them be alright…_

xXx

I was the last one to enter the mess hall. So naturally, any conversation that anyone was having quickly died down the moment that I entered the hall. “H-hey,” I nervously said, taking a seat at the end of the table near Gengar of all people. He quickly averted his eyes and looked desperately at Metang.

Metang coughed. “Braixen, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” I insisted. “Don’t worry about me!”

“…. If you are sure,” Metang said. “But, I guess this is the start of the third daily meeting of the Ultimate Team.” He gave me an expressionless look. “Since you blacked out, you missed the one we had yesterday right after Monotuff’s own meeting.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, lowering my head.

“I-It’s not your fault, Braixen!” Zebstrika tried to say.

“Hmph, speak for yourself,” Lycanroc grunted.

“ _Anyway_.” Metang gave both of them a sharp glare and the two shrank under it. “It’s almost noon. That means the number will go down by one once again. And if what Monotuff was true then one of us will be electrocuted again.”

We all opened the holograms and checked the time. At the moment it was 11:57. “So long do we have?” Ribombee asked, raising her hand.

“About three minutes,” Gengar, surprisingly, answered.

“T-three m-minutes?!” Froslass. “Are we just going to l-let this h-happen?!”

“We have no choice,” Greninja answered. “Monotuff is nowhere to be found and we already spent the majority of last night looking for any other sign of life.” She sighed. “Just understand that you aren’t the one in the most danger.” She glanced over at Pelipper who was shaking like a leaf.

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I’m f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fine,” Pelipper managed to stammer out with some effort.

“I will be alright, too,” Greninja said simply, looking rather calm despite her situation. “I’ve learned to handle electrocution.”

I swallowed, as I watched the time on my dashboard slowly tick forward. Everyone else waited with bated breath.

_11:58_

_11:59_

_12:00_

_12:01_

I blinked and lightly touched the collar around my neck. I hadn’t felt anything. I glanced around and everyone else had the same expression of relief present on their faces. Pelipper was especially glad and was looking at the ceiling repeating the words, “Thank you. Thank you.”

“Ergg…”

“Metang!” Blissey jumped out of her seat, as Metang suddenly groaned and floated to the ground. She quickly fell down next to the metal body and inspected him. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m…” Metang let out a groan as his metal creaked. “okay. I was the one who was shocked.” He grimaced and, despite Blissey’s protests, floated back up. “I’ll be alright,” he said smoothly. “It wasn’t too bad.”

Gengar grinned. “That’s the Ultimate Genius for you!”

“You should rest,” Blissey ordered as Metang cringed. “One shock was already enough to knock out Braixen, so if you are pushing yourself then you’re doing nothing but hurt your body.”

Metang seemed to cringe. “Alright,” he relented. He waved a clawed hand. “You’re all dismissed. I would usually suggest a plan in this case, but I’m drawing a blank.” He gazed at all if us with a leveled look. “If anyone can come up with anything then feel free to share it with everyone tomorrow.” With Blissey guiding him, Metang floated out of the Mess Hall. A couple of others like Ribombee and Lucario followed them out rather quickly.

Everyone else stayed seated for a second or two before getting up and filing out. I was the last one to get up from the table, only to be roughly pushed back down in my seat by a stray elbow. “Huh?” I looked around, alarmed. No one was near me and the only other person inside was Lycanroc.

He scowled. “What?!” he asked, grinding his teeth.

“N-nothing,” I said, brushing off the incident. Soon after, I left with one question on my mind.

What would I even do for the rest of the day?

xXx

For whatever reason, I found myself inside the Deliveryman Gym after wandering around for a while. To my surprise, not only Pelipper was inside, but Lucario was there rummaging through a box of letters.

He looked up and brightened the moment that he noticed me. “Braixen! Glad to see you up and about!!”

“Hello Lucario,” I greeted amicably, a little put off by his energy. As nice as Lucario was he was a little too boisterous for me. I glanced past him over to where the shelves of letters were stored. “What are you doing?”

“Metang wanted me to check the post office with Pelipper go check to see if there's any clue to the missing townspeople!” He answered quickly.

“We’ve found nothing yet,” Pelipper grumbled in the background, grabbing another letter with his beak. “This is worthless.”

“We haven’t been searching for long!” Lucario insisted. “We could still find something!!” He turned back to me. “Would you mind helping us?”

I shook my head. “I don’t mind.” I took a small look around. “Where should I start?”

“Errrr…” Lucario went silent.

Pelipper, still flying above us, let out a loud sigh. “You can take the right side,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Just be sure to keep everything organized.”

I blinked surprised at Pelipper's attitude. “Alright?” He made a small grunt as a response.

For the next few hours, or until 6 as my clock told me, all of us worked in silence flipping through the letters that were stuffed in boxes around the post office. Pelipper, to my surprise, worked diligently and was already finished scouring most of the top shelves that I and Lucario couldn’t reach after only a couple of hours. After he was done, he came back down to the ground to help us with the boxes that littered the gym. By the time it was 6, Lucario and I had only managed to sort out one box each while Pelipper had been already finished with most of the others.

I had blinked, seeing the numerous of organized boxes that surrounded Pelipper. “Wow,” I said aloud. “You’re really good at this.”

“Hmph,” Pelipper smirked and dusted himself off. “Of course, I am. But you want to know what else am good at in your-”

“No wonder you’re the Ultimate Deliveryman,” I interrupted him before he could say anything else.

Pelipper seemed to sag at those words. “I guess,” he said. “It’s just knowing how to organize. It isn’t all that impressive.”

“Nonsense!” Lucario said. “You should be proud of your talent.”

Pelipper scowled. “It isn’t much of a talent. I’m just good at delivering letters. The only reason I was picked was a fluke.”

“Nonsense!” Lucario repeated. “Nothing is a fluke. You earned your title through your own effort! You should be proud of that!”

“A fluke?” I asked, ignoring Lucario given the fact that I was currently here. Being lucky wasn’t a talent anyway.

“There was this giant storm,” Pelipper explained. “Lasted for about two weeks. There was a load of letters that had yet to be delivered including a box of medicine for a group of villagers that were dying from some sort of disease.” He sighed. “We had a line of deliverymen and pelippers, stationed at various posts. I was the last one to finally deliver the medicine…”

“Wait…” I blinked, the story ringing a bell in my mind. “I remember hearing about that! The villagers were affected by some sort of disease from a mystery dungeon and they were saved by a cure that had been delivered! That was you?!”

“Mhm.” He nodded, looking slightly guilty.

“You should be proud!” Lucario insisted with a grin. “Didn’t you save all those people?!”

“Uh-huh.” Pelipper sounded unimpressed as he turned to look at Lucario. “Well, then what is the deal with your talent, Ultimate Fighter? Anyone can fight. Doesn’t sound like a great talent.”

I winced slightly, but Lucario didn’t seem to catch Pelipper rude tone. “Well, it’s mostly because I’ve studied all types and forms of martial arts. But I’ve also been a part of an exploration team before.”

“An exploration team?” I perked up. While I knew that some pokémon here had been a member in their own exploration team before, I never actually got a chance to ask anyone about it. “How was it?” I asked, seeing Pelipper scoff out of the corner of my eye.

Lucario didn’t seem to notice the bird. “It was just the three of us,” he explained, wistfully. “Blaziken, me and Weavile. We were known as Team Honor.” Pelipper let out a chuckle, before hastily covering it up with a cough. “We traveled everywhere together for a good four years. We even went to Foggy Forest to try and find the treasure that was said to be hidden there.”

“Did you find anything?”

Lucario faltered. “N-no,” he answered hastily. “But we were great.”

“In your opinion,” Pelipper mumbled.

“I’ve heard that some exploration teams had access to mega evolution!” I said, excitedly. Delphoxes couldn’t mega evolve so that was already a pipe dream for me, but it was fascinating enough for any pokémon that knew about it. “Can you mega evolve?” Even Pelipper seemed intrigued by the question, as we both looked at Lucario expectantly.

Lucario face quickly changed expressions, going from confused to terrified to anger all in a split second. “No,” he muttered, loud enough for the both of us to hear. “None of us could mega evolve. It’s not like we wanted to anyway.”

He looked a bit irritated, so I quickly backpedaled. “Still an exploration team is still incredible!” I said brightly. “You all must’ve worked well together if you were together for four years.”

“Yeah…” Lucario seemed to mull over my words for a couple of seconds.

“Or he was just as annoying as he was now,” Pelipper muttered.

“That’s it!” Lucario’s proclamation made us jump. “I know what we’ve got to do!” He rushed out of the post office, while me and Pelipper watched.

“What was all that about?” Pelipper wondered aloud.

“No idea,” I replied, still looking at the door.

Pelipper slid over next to me and I quickly took a step back. “Well you’re welcome to-!”

“I’m hungry,” I interrupted, once again. “I think I’ll go eat.”

“But-!”

“Bye.” I waved and quickly dashed out of the post office before Pelipper could say anything else. He was a nice guy and all, at least until he started talking about… _that_.

xXx

I was starving.

Working nearly half a day and sleeping for the other, I realized that I had barely gotten any sort of lunch or breakfast. So I was pretty excited as I climbed down the ladder, carefully, and hopped onto the main floor into complete chaos.

Lucario was flung into the wall next to me, landing on the floor with a loud grunt. I let out a cry and stumbled away from him, as Lycanroc stomped over to the fallen pokémon. He picked up Lucario by the throat and held him against the wall. “The fuck you suggesting?!” he yelled right into Lucario’s face.

“I just said-!” Lucario started to say, only to get pushed more tightly against the wall by Lycanroc before he could get out any more words.

“W-What’s going on?!” I asked, turning to the others that seemed to be just watching the entire exchange. Among the group was Grovyle, Zebstrika, Ribombee, and Blissey.

“Hmph.” Grovyle just seemed to shrug and walk away.

“I-I don’t know,” Zebstrika stammered out. “Lucario was just talking to Lycanroc and then Lycanroc just threw him into the wall!”

“

“You think we can fight that thing?!” Lycanroc shouted into Lucario’s face. “What if your plan fails, huh?! Maybe he’ll just decide to fuck everyone we care about!”

“Nngh…” Lucario glared right into Lycanroc’s eyes. “That… That won’t happen…”

“Heh.” Lycanroc dropped him onto the ground. “I ain’t doing that shit,” he spat, before sauntering back towards the rooms. “If anything, I’ll kill before you ever have the chance to make a move,” he said ominously.

Once he was gone, I and the others rushed to Lucario’s side. Blissey quickly checked him, before sighing in relief. “You’re fine,” she said to him. “Nothing wrong at all.”

“What happened?” I asked him. We had left the post office literal minutes from each other and he had somehow managed to piss off Lycanroc so quickly?

“I’m fine,” he said, mirroring Blissey’s words. “We just got into an argument.”

“About what?” Ribombee asked.

Lucario glanced around, before lowering his voice. “I already asked Metang. We’re meeting in the afternoon in the center of Treasure Town.” He gave a small grin. “We’re going to take down Monotuff!”

Zebstrika nervously looked around. “Are you serious?” he hissed. “He exploded the last time, Lycanroc tried to threaten him. Plus, the rules-!”

“Are shit,” Lucario finished for him, with a serious look in his eyes. “No pokémon can self-destruct and not take any residual damage. If we gang up on him…”

“We can finish him off?” I asked.

Lucario nodded. “We’re the Ultimate Exploration Team. If we work together then we can accomplish anything!” He grinned but winced slightly. “If we all face him in an honorable battle then there’s no way we can’t win!”

Blissey shot him a look. “Metang said we would discuss the possibility in the square tomorrow,” she pointed out. “We’re not actually doing it.”

“…True,” Lucario admitted. “But we can do it together! I know we can!”

I looked away, unsure of what to think. Lucario’s plan seemed to be rather on the moment. “Is that why Lycanroc…?”

“He didn’t like the idea. I doubt that he or anyone else would kill but if he does actually have our families then there’s little choice in the matter. We have to fight!” He was trying to convince us.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Blissey insisted. “Metang, Ribombee and I will spread the word to the rest of the team.”

Lucario hesitated. “O-okay.”

Blissey muttered something under her breath and lifted Lucario with the help of Ribombee, before heading towards the rooms, most likely to take care of him.

Zebstrika and I were left behind and after quickly grabbing a bite to eat from the mess hall, we said our goodbyes and heading off to our rooms.

As I lay down on my pile of hay to rest, I thought about the day’s events. Nothing much had happened in retrospect. I had failed to find anything about our current situation in the post office and Lucario revealed his intentions about fighting Monotuff.

Still the idea of fighting and defeating Monotuff in an all-out attack seemed plausible at least to me. If Metang was there then his wisdom would become invaluable in a sort of battle.

_Killing, huh?_

The very idea was laughable. No one would ever kill. No one would ever die.

Right?

That question plagued me as I drifted off to sleep.

xXx

I slept peacefully during the night without a dream to even speak of. Of course, as if fate wanted to mock me, I had woken up earlier than I had ever had the right to be. So, when I walked into the mess hall, I wasn’t surprised to find it completely empty.

What I was surprised to see was a noticeable lack of berries and fruit on the table. Nearly all the bowls were empty and my favorite type, pecha, had been completely eaten up by someone. I grimaced. There went my good mood for the day.

I was about to take a seat and wait for the others when I remembered that Ribombee had a garden filled with berries. I could grab some breakfast from there. Feeling slightly happier, I climbed out of the guild and headed towards Sharpedo’s Bluff.

On the way, I spotted Lycanroc rummaging around in Kecleon’s shop. I was about to ask him what he was doing, but he spotted me even before I could even open my mouth and let out a low growl. He didn’t need to say anything else. I quickly dashed forward towards Sharpedo’s Bluff and towards the Botanist Gym without saying anything else.

 _It’s none of my business_ , I assured myself.

At the Botanist Gym, I found that it wasn’t empty as I had originally thought. Instead, both Ribombee and Blissey were both inside watering the plants. I stood in place, wondering what to say when Ribombee looked up from her plants. “Oh, Braixen!” She looked delighted. “What are you doing here?”

I gave them a nervous smile. “I was hoping that you could spare some berries for breakfast,” I explained. “We ran out in the mess hall.”

Ribombee blinked. “We did.”

“Y-Yes?”

“That’s strange,” she said. “Monotuff said that the food in the mess hall is replenished every day at in between meals. Unless someone took everything this morning then we shouldn’t be out, since Monotuff would replenish it at midnight.”

The explanation made my head spin. “Yes,” I repeated. “So, can I have some?”

Ribombee nodded and handed me a straw basket. “Of course. Just remember to tell me how much you get,” she said.

I cocked my head to the side. “Why?”

“I need to keep track of how many berries there are.” She gestured over to a small chalkboard hanging off the wall, with pictures and numbers on it. “If I don’t know how much berries I currently have then I’ll end up using too little or too much water when taking care of them.”

I blinked. “Alright.” I made a beeline to the pecha berries and filled my basket full of them. I was actually amazed. These berries were actually a looked a lot tastier than the ones that I had seen in the mess hall.

I brought my basket and handed it over to Ribombee. “No wonder you’re the Ultimate Botanist,” I complimented.

Ribombee blushed. “T-thank you, but I don’t actually do much.” she muttered as she looked over my goods before handing me the basket. “Are you going to Lucario’s meeting in the afternoon?” she asked me after clearing her throat.

“Mhm!” My mouth had already taken a bit of one of the berries. I swallowed. “But Lycanroc doesn’t seem too fond of it,” I admitted. “You don’t think he might do something?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Blissey piped up. “I’ve seen his type in the emergency room all the time. The ones who say that they can do something, but at the end of the day they lack the courage needed to get them to move in any way.” She snorted. “It really isn’t that impressive.”

I frowned. “I guess I’ll take your word for it,” I said.

“You’ll be fine, Braixen,” Ribombee said. “Things will work out.” She handed me a larger basket filled to the brim with more fruits and vegetables. “This is for the others,” she instructed.

I nodded. “Bye,” I said to the two of them, waving. I headed back towards the guild, spotting Lycanroc still in Kecleon’s Shop along the way. I quickly dashed past it, hoping that we wouldn’t cross eyes. I was lucky. He was too busy to give me any notice.

xXx

I placed the two baskets down on the table and took a seat. I smiled and began to reach for a berry, so that I could enjoy my breakfast.

“Fuck yeah, there’s food now!”

Lycanroc suddenly bounded into the mess hall and grabbed an apple from the basket. I froze, and he gave me a strange look. “What’d you want?” he snorted, taking a bite from the fruit.

“Weren’t you just at Kecleon’s Shop?” I asked.

Lycanroc frowned. “No?” he answered. “You on something? I’ve been in my room this entire time.”

“But I-!” I started to say.

“Whatever.” Lycanroc just shrugged and walked away, his arms cradling several apples.

I frowned, unsure of what to make of the situation. Was he lying?

Ah well.

I took several more minutes to enjoy my breakfast.

xXx

There were still a few hours left until Lucario’s meeting, so I had some time to spare. I ended up wandering around the field that contained the Pelipper’s post office. I was going back to see if he had anything else for me to do, since we were unable to find anything the day before.

I stopped just in the middle of the field, feeling a sudden sort of dread. I turned to my right to see a large column of dirt coming towards me with Zebstrika leading.

“Waugh!” I jumped to the right, as Zebstrika raced past me. He slowed down and quickly turned around, alarmed.

“Braixen, are you alright?!” He quickly asked, looking both guilty and scared.

“I’m fine.” I quickly stood back up. “But what were you…?”

“Racing!” he immediately answered me, seemingly forgetting that he nearly run me over just a few moments again. “I haven’t been getting much practice, so I thought I could get somexercisese in the field here!”

“O-oh.” I nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Hey you mind helping with my timing?!” he asked enthusiastically. “It’s impossible to see the hologram in these collars while I’m running.”

I nodded again. “Sure,” I replied, opening up the hologram in front of my face. I assumed he wanted me to use the clock to time him. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah!” He took a position in front of me. “Just tell me when to go!”

“Um… Go?” Just as the words exited my mouth, I felt all my fur stand up on its end as Zebstrika dashed forward with the air around him crackling with electricity. I blinked and already found himself halfway across the field. I quickly checked the time and, only a few moments later, I heard him calling out asking for the time. “Two... Two minutes!” I answered back.

This went on up for a couple of hours, up until Zebstrika was moving so fast that I couldn’t tell the clock was actually too slow for me to measure his speed. Once I told him that, he trotted back towards me, a grin evident on his face. “That was nice,” he said.

“I’m impressed,” I admitted. Despite his normalcy, he still was an Ultimate, after all.

“Thanks!” Zebstrika nodded, as he sat down on the grass to take a breather. “With everything that’s been going one, this is the only thing to take my mind of it.”

“How many races have you won?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Zebstrika hesitated. “Not a lot given what I’m called.” He chuckled shrewdly. “About maybe… ten?”

“Ten? Is that a lot?”

“Um… not really.” Zebstrika said, abashed. “My mentor actually has won about 300 more than I have. Still…” He sighed. “I’ve only been in ten races. So by that logic I’ve won one hundred percent.”

“Sure.” I didn’t really know what he meant by all of that. Even if he had one hundred percent then he still had won less than his teacher. Was that really worth celebrating?

“I’ll beat him one day,” Zebstrika muttered, his gaze suddenly growing serious. “I’ll get out of here and I won’t lose again.”

I tried to ask him what he meant, but before I could get a word in, Zebstrika stood back up. “Alright!” he said sounding more determined. “Let’s do this again!”

I blinked. “Already?!”

“Yep!” He grinned. “But since the clock doesn’t work anymore, maybe you should just count with your head!”

“W-what?!” I spluttered. “I-I can’t-!”

“Alright! Ready, set, GO!” Zebstrika dashed forward in the middle of me speaking doing a lap around the field.

For the next two hours, I was forced to keep track of Zebstrika’s speed using nothing but my head. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be and by the end of it all, I could feel a headache forming. At around lunch, we headed back down towards the mess hall for some lunch.

xXx

I found only four people in the mess hall when I entered. Ribombee and Blissey were near the far end in a heated discussion, so I decided not to bother them. The only other two were Pelipper, who was chewing rather happily on some fruit, and Marowak, who was polishing her bone with a nearby knife.

She looked up. “Ah good, you’re here. You missed another person getting shocked.”

“A-Ah!” I gasped. “Who was it?!”  Zebstrika and I were completely fine, so it couldn’t have been one of us.

“Hmph.” Marowak spun her club in her hand. “It was me. I’m just lucky I’m a ground-type.”

“Oh…” Zebstrika looked down. “I’m sorry to hear that…”

“Eh.” Marowak shrugged. “I just hope it was one of the old curmudgeons in the archeological society that died. Especially Old Man Gigalith. What a dumbass.”

“Well if you’re alright…” I said somewhat uncertainly, sitting down at the table across from her.

“It’s alright as long as I don’t get hurt!” Pelipper suddenly spoke up, with surprising force.

“Right…” Zebstrika sighed.

“Better eat up,” Marowak said, nodding towards the food. “Lucario’s meeting starts soon.” She shrugged. “Despite how hopeless it is, in my opinion.” She stood up. “I guess I’ve enjoyed my last meal.” With those ominous words she left.

“Edge,” Pelipper grumbled, shoveling some more fruit into his mouth. He swallowed and gave Zebstrika and me a nod. “See ya.” He flew out as Blissey and Ribombee followed still talking with each other.

The two of us ate in silence. Lycanroc came in at one point and grabbed some food, before leaving without a word.

Soon enough it was time. Both me and Zebstrika went to the surface and headed towards the Treasure Town’s square in front of the Berserker Gym. There we found nearly everyone waiting there. Except for one person…

I looked around. “Where’s Grovyle?” I asked.

“He didn’t want to come,” Lucario answered, sounding disappointed. “He didn’t seem keen on my idea. But…” He glanced at Lycanroc who was standing in the back of the group. “I’m glad that you came, Lycanroc.”

Lycanroc just snorted and adjusted the bag strapped around his shoulder.

“Enough.” Metang floated up next to Lucario. “The third Ultimate Exploration Team meeting starts now.” He gave Lucario a nod. “We were thinking of rebelling against Monotuff. Destroy the guildmaster and perhaps we can escape or at the very least find out where the hostages are.”

“If there are any,” Porygon muttered.

“Nevertheless, we have to try,” Metang said with a nod.

“Do you hear that, Monotuff!” Lucario yelled to the air. “Come out here and fight us if you have any honor!”

Everyone tensed, but Monotuff never came.

Lucario cleared his throat. “Fight us!” he demanded. “If you have any-!”

“He isn’t coming.” Lycanroc suddenly moved forward, interrupting Lucario’s yelling. He stood in the middle of the group and face Metang and Lucario. “But…” He raised a pale blue orb into the air and it began to spew a pale pink mist.

No one moved as the mist drifted around us. I breathed some in and immediately felt dizzy. I rubbed my head as I fell to my knees, my eyelids heavy.

“This is…” I heard Gengar say.

“No!” Greninja dashed forward, but it was already too late.

For the third time that week I blacked out.

xXx

I woke up.

I couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

As I got up and looked around I found everyone even Lycanroc passed out on the ground. I leaned down to see if I could wake up the closest person next to me, only the sound of glass shattering cut through the quiet like lightning.

I turned my head towards the Berserker Gym and I felt myself grow cold. One of the windows of the gym had been shattered and stained in some sort of red… liquid.

My feet heavy I moved towards the gym’s doors and pulled them open. I jumped back, as cold water tinged red rushed around over my feet and spilled over onto the square.

I looked inside.

_What?_

_I don’t understand…_

_I don’t… I don’t… I don’t…_

A zoroark was handcuffed to the steel beams of the exercise equipment that I had made with Lycanroc just two days before, his body leaning forward only held up in the air by the handcuffs attached to the steel beams. Blood clung to the fur on his head and there was a small hole in his stomach, slowly pooling blood to the floor. A gray piece of paper was over his mouth.

I stood there my mouth flapping uselessly.

“Braixen?” I turned around to see Noivern up, as she walked up towards me. “What are you…?” She caught sight of the body. “What are you…?”

“Ugh…” Lycanroc stood up and noticed me. “Hey what did I say about…” He caught glimpse of the body. “What… WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo,” Noivern repeated on a loop.

_Ding Dong! Bing Bong!_

Monotuff’s voice suddenly came out of nowhere, echoing from every single direction. “A dead body has been discovered! After a set period of time, a guild trial will begin!”

I felt sick.

_I don’t…_

My stomach churned.

_I just don’t understand…_

“Yo, yo, yo, yo,” Noivern continued to say in shock, as the others began to stir.

_Just what is going on…?_

* * *

Alive (15):

Braixen: Ultimate Luckster

Grovyle: Ultimate ???

Noivern: Ultimate Rock Star

Marowak: Ultimate Archeologist

Pelipper: Ultimate Deliveryman

Froslass: Ultimate Dancer

Lycanroc: Ultimate Berserker

Lucario: Ultimate Fighter

Blissey: Ultimate Healer

Porygon 2: Ultimate Hacker

Gengar: Ultimate Infiltrator

Zebstrika: Ultimate Racer

Metang: Ultimate Genius

Ribombee: Ultimate Botanist

Greninja: Ultimate Assassin

Dead (1):

Zoroark: Ultimate ???

 


	4. My World, Your Illusion (Part 3)

Chapter 3: My World, Your Illusion- Our Investigation

* * *

I could only stand there in shock, as the rest of the guildmembers filed into the room to see the body.

"Euuugh!" Lucario stumbled back, his face contorted with disgust.

"Eeeeeee!" Ribombee let out a shrill scream.

"…Hehehehe." Blissey chuckled as a bit of drool escaped her mouth. She seemed transfixed by the bleeding body.

Greninja moved towards it and placed a finger on the pokémon's neck. "He's dead," she confirmed with a shake of her head.

"How could this have happened?" Metang demanded, casting everyone there with a suspicious glare.

"Well, it's obvious who the number one suspect is," Porygon said, sparing Lycanroc a look.

Before Lycanroc could react, Greninja waved her hand. "Restrain him," she ordered, as both Gengar and Marowak got up from behind Lycanroc and handcuffed him.

"Hey?!" Lycanroc struggled against the bonds. "What the fuck?!"

Gengar gave him an awkward smile. "S-sorry man…"

"Ahem!" Monotuff's voice suddenly echoed out from somewhere unknown. "Would everyone please meet me in Treasure Town's square right outside the crime scene? I have something important to tell you regarding recent events!" A small _click_ was heard and then silence.

"I'm assuming that's when he'll let Lycanroc escape," Metang said with a nod. " _If_ we hadn't found him out."

"I'm telling you I didn't-Urk!"

Marowak bopped her club on Lycanroc's head. "Be quiet so we can get this all sorted out."

Lycanroc grumbled as Marowak and Gengar dragged him out of his gym. Everyone else followed, but I hung back taking another look at the dead body. I felt sick to my stomach. Someone was dead. Someone was dead. Someone…

I walked out of the gym and positioned myself near the edge of the square. Everyone else was nervously or suspiciously glancing at everyone else.

"What's going on?" Everyone turned their heads to find Grovyle running down the street. He looked over everyone once, but he let his eyes linger on me for a couple of more seconds. I felt a chill run down my spine. "Did something happen?"

"S-s-someone's d-dead," Froslass said, holding her head and gritting her teeth. "M-murdered."

"But everyone's here," Grovyle said impatiently. "Who's dead?"

"A Zoroark," Blissey explained, calmly. "Age 19. Death by-!"

"Hey! Hey! Save the cause of death for the Victim File please!" Monotuff appeared out of nowhere.

"Waugh!" Zebstrika, who had been the closest, jumped back.

"Someone has killed! Someone has killed! Someone has killed!" The thing began to dance around in a circle, gleefully as the rest of us watched horrified. "There's a murderer, murderer, murderer! Now…" It suddenly paused and looked at us all. "Who could it have been?"

"Is this the moment where you let the killer escape?" Greninja asked. "Because unfortunately, we've already discovered who the culprit is." She kicked Lycanroc in the behind.

Lycanroc grunted. "I'm telling you it wasn't-!"

"Nope!" Monotuff interrupted.

"Listen to me for-huh?" Lycanroc blinked. "Wait are you telling me I'm right?! Hell yeah!" He grinned.

"Nope!" Monotuff repeated. "That's not how this is going to work."

"Then how is it going to work?" Porygon asked.

"First let me update your E-Badges with some new features like the great guildmaster I am!" Monotuff said, as the collars that were stuck on us suddenly beeped.

We all opened up the holograms to find that two new pages had been added along with some more rules. First, I took a look at the new rules.

**6\. Once a murder takes place, a guild trial will begin after a short period of investigation. Participation is mandatory for all surviving guild members.**

**7\. If the "blackened" is discovered during a guild trial, then only they will be executed.**

**8\. If the guild fails to discover the "blackened" during the guild trial, then everyone but the "blackened" will be executed.**

**9\. A body discovery announcement will play when three or more people find the body.**

**10\. More rules will be added at the Guildmaster's discretion.**

"W-what?" I gasped. If I don't figure who killed the zoroark then I would be killed?

"I do not understand," Metang said with a shake of his head. "What exactly is a guild trial?"

"A guild trial!" Monotuff repeated. "It's a platform for which all of you will debate and argue for who you think the murderer actually is!" It began to spin around again. "If you figure out who Zoroark's killer is then I will punish them. If you don't…" It suddenly stopped and turned to us, the slash it had for an eye glowing. "Then I'll punish the rest of you other than the murderer."

Zebstrika gulped. "And this punishment is…?"

"Hmph." Monotuff raised a paw. "Execution, of course."

Everyone fell into a stunned silence.

"Of course, I'm not letting any of you go unprepared into this trial. You're free to investigate the murder for a bit of time!" Monotuff face suddenly seemed to stretch. "Oh, and about the motive…"

"You are planning to release them, correct?" Greninja asked. "After all someone has been killed."

"Nah!" Monotuff said.

"W-what?!" Gengar yelped.

"For added incentive, I think I'll keep the Destiny Bond motive till after the trial!" Monotuff laughed. "So, if all the innocent is lost due to punishment, then their friends and family will be lost too, but if the culprit loses then they lose their close ones." He continued to laugh. "It's a win-win!"

"Hey, that wasn't part of the deal!" Lycanroc shouted, struggling against his bonds.

"Keep your invisible pants on," Monotuff snorted. "Just figure out who killed Zoroark. No biggee."

"B-But then the culprit will lose everything," Ribombee stammered out. "That isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" Monotuff retorted. "Since someone killed they should accept the responsibility of the game! After all, if I released all those pokémon then the killer might not have any motive anymore. They might admit to their crime!"

"I doubt that," Metang said smoothly. "After all, if they killed then they, of course, assumed that they would escape soon after."

"Well even then…!" Monotuff shouted. "The motive stays. More incentive is never a bad thing." It tapped its foot. "Besides shouldn't you all be investigating the truly disturbing case of the mysterious zoroark?"

"Yes, about that-!" Marowak began to say, only to find that Monotuff had suddenly disappeared again. "Of course," she muttered, shaking her head.

We all stood there in silence, digesting this piece of new information we were just given. I could barely understand it. A guild trial? Execution? I felt my throat close up. I just don't get it. This entire situation… it was just too crazy to comprehend.

I wanted to scream. My mind was spinning and I could barely-!

"Everyone," Metang's calm and assertive voice broke me out of my thoughts. "For now…" He seemed to hesitate. "We should do as it says."

Porygon snorted. "You cannot be serious. This is pure idiocy. We shouldn't do anything Monotuff says."

"But if what it says is true…" Ribombee said nervously.

"Then we'll all die!" Rather than sound nervous or panicked, Blissey instead sounded completely enthusiastic about it, a beaming smile stretched across her face.

"Exactly." Metang nodded. "We no longer have no option." He took a deep breath before he left his low voice bellow throughout the town. "This is now the first mission of the Ultimate Team! Investigate this murder and locate Zoroark's killer! I expect no stone left unturned and everyone to be alive at the end of this! Does everyone understand?"

"Yes!" I heard nearly everyone shout in response.

"Right." Metang lowered his gaze. "Then let us all get through this situation as an Ultimate Team would!"

_**Investigation Start!** _

Everyone else murmured a short agreement, while others like Blissey and Lucario shouted their enthusiasm. Everyone then split up, heading in different directions to investigate with the majority going into the Berserker Gym. I was left alone to stand there in the courtyard. I figured that it would probably be best for me to take a step back. I wasn't really the right person to investigate a murderer after all…

That is until Grovyle suddenly walked up to me. He gave me a look that I couldn't decipher, before sighing. "Your name…" he said. "Is Braixen, right?"

"Um…" I blinked. "Yes?"

"Right…" He nodded. "You'll be investigating the murder with me."

I frowned. "Actually, I thought it would better if I was on the sidelines? I don't really have any experience with investigating…" I swallowed. 'Investigating murders."

Grovyle gave me a cold look. "So, are you fine with doing nothing? Even with your life on the line?"

"Uh." I looked away, unable to answer.

"Hmph." Grovyle snorted. "Well you're going to help me," he said. "An assistant."

"An assistant?" I frowned but nevertheless nodded. "I guess if you think I can help in any way."

Another strange look was sent my way before Grovyle opened his hologram or E-Badges as Monotuff had called them. I followed suit, taking another look at the rules, before swiping to the left only to find a new screen. Most of the screen was empty with only there were words near the top that said, "Victim File #1." Bewildered, I tapped on it and the screen changed. "Interesting," I heard Grovyle say. "Mind reading it?"

I blinked, before realizing that he was talking to me. I cleared my throat. " _The victim is Zoroark the Ultimate Illusionist_ ," I read aloud. " _He died at 4:33 PM from external bleeding_." I looked up at Grovyle. "That's all it says."

"4:33?" he repeated, glancing at the corner of his screen. "Right now it's 4:50… so he wasn't killed too long ago." He swiped to the right again. "What's this?"

I mimicked his action and again there was another new page. This one had a long list that contained everyone's names. I tapped my name as the screen changed into one with a whole lot of information. Height, Age, weight, type, gender, move list… There was a lot of information on me, much to my chagrin.

"Braixen." Grovyle dismissed his E-Badge's screen with a wave. "Can you tell me what happened? Why was everyone here?"

I blinked, not sure why he was asking. "Lucario had called a meeting for taking down Monotuff." I frowned. "He told us that you didn't want to come."

Grovyle just stared at me. "I didn't say anything like that," he explained, with a slight frown. "I haven't heard anything about this meeting, before. Besides I was…" He suddenly fell quiet.

"You were…?" I prodded.

"It doesn't matter," Grovyle dismissed quickly. "Continue."

I frowned, but continued with my story. "Then Lycanroc appeared and used some sort of blue ball that started spewing this pink mist. Everyone, including me, was knocked out." I swallowed. "And… and then I woke up. I think I was the first one to."

"You were?" Grovyle's voice was laced with suspicion, I could tell.

That almost made me want to stop digging my grave, but I continued nevertheless. "Yes," I said with a nod. "Then I heard something crash into the window on the Berserker Gym and shatter it. W-when I went over to investigate it, I saw blood staining the glass, so I opened the doors and found the body. Then Noivern and Lycanroc woke up and were the next two people to see the body. That's when Monotuff's announcement played…"

Grovyle nodded. "That is three people. But did you say that Lycanroc also saw the body?"

I nodded and Grovyle sighed. "Yet he was also the one to put you all to sleep?"

Again I nodded. "Do have some sort of idea?" I asked.

"No. Not yet," Grovyle answered. "We have to investigate some more."

"Are we…" My voice died a little. "Are we going to see the body now." Despite my want to help, I wasn't very comfortable about seeing the dead body again.

To my surprise, Grovyle just shook his head. "No," he answered. "I want to check two places first. Kecleon's Shop and the Botanist Gym."

I cocked my head. "Why…?" I started to ask, but Grovyle was already starting to walk away. With a moment of hesitation, I followed after him.

xXx

To my surprise, there were already two pokémon at Kecleon's Shop; Pelipper was perched on the counter watching Marowak as she stacked a bunch of wooden boxes outside the shop while mumbling to herself. Grovyle just waited near Pelipper patiently, so I just shut my mouth and watched her work. "What is she doing?" Grovyle finally asked as Marowak tossed another box out.

"We're looking to see if any Wonder Orbs are missing," Pelipper explained. "Since Lycanroc used a Slumber Orb on us, y'know." He glanced at Grovyle. "Or you don't."

"Wonder Orbs?" I asked with a frown. "What are those?"

"Ah…" Pelipper blinked. "I guess you wouldn't have used these before, huh?"

"Wonder Orbs," Marowak grunted, slamming another crate into the growing pile she was making. "They are basically magical orbs that can be used within mystery dungeons for a bunch of different effects. Like the one that Lycanroc had used against us. A Slumber Orb."

I nodded, mostly following the explanation. "So Lycanroc used a Slumber Orb on all of us." That was probably what had caused us to fall asleep.

"Those that mean he got it from here?" Grovyle questioned. "I'm assuming there would be a way to tell if something had been taken."

"There are some records of the items that Kecleon kept inside and, assuming that no one took anything before today, there's actually four things missing from the shop," Marowak explained.

"Four?"

She nodded. "There are three orbs missing, plus a Stun Seed is gone." She sighed and placed a hand on her helmet. "The seeds are actually rather organized but the orbs are a complete mess., so I can't tell what exactly had been taken."

"Hm." Grovyle seemed to ponder this news for a moment, as I and Pelipper stood at the sidelines watching. "Is there any way you could give us a list of the orbs here in the store and their functions?"

"Hmph." Marowak snorted. "Well I could certainly do it, but it would take some time. Are you fine with that?"

"As long as I get it before this supposed 'guild trial,'" Grovyle insisted.

"Well alright then." Marowak glared at Pelipper. "Oi, you."

Pelipper stiffened. "Y-yes, ma'am!?"

"Get me some paper and a pen from your gym," she ordered. "Do it quickly and maybe I'll _step_ on you."

Pelipper went red. "Yes, ma'am!" he shouted enthusiastically, soaring into the air and towards his gym.

Marowak snorted. "How incredibly predictable." She said, rolling her eyes. "People like him aren't exactly the brightest when it comes to situations like this."

"Right." Grovyle just nodded, before turning away from the store. "Braixen follow." He ordered, heading towards the Botanist Gym.

"R-right!" With a short wave to Marowak, I hurried to catch up to my partner. Though at this point I would call myself a glorified sidekick…

xXx

I was surprised to see Ribombee without Blissey inside of her gym and even more surprised to see Greninja here too. The two of them were in a deep discussion when me and Grovyle entered the greenhouse, but they quickly put a pause on it the moment that they noticed us. "Ah." Greninja said, coolly. "It seems that I wasn't the only one with that idea."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but Grovyle seemed to have a clue, as he nodded. "So I was on the correct track then?" he asked. "Ribombee grows Chesto berries here?"

"W-wait?!" Ribombee suddenly stammered. "You're not suspecting me, are you?!"

"She does," Greninja instead answered.

"H-Hey!" Ribombee looked a lot less calm than she would usually look with Blissey by her side. She shook her head. "Y-yes I do grow Chesto berries. And… and there is one missing from when I counted this morning! B-but I swear I didn't kill anyone!"

"Hmph." Grovyle didn't seem to care about that fact and instead folded his arms. "So, it's possible that someone could've taken a Chesto Berry to wake themselves up after the Slumber Orb was activated."

"Perhaps," Greninja gave Grovyle a suspicious look. "What were you doing by the way?"

"None of your business," he quickly replied, evading the question entirely. I shot him a look, before giving Greninja an apologetic smile.

To her credit, she didn't seem to put off about having her question dismissed like that. Instead, she just gazed back at the garden. "But if a Chesto berry was indeed used then it might actually make Lycanroc innocent in this case."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Kyhehe…" Greninja chuckled softly. "I had forgotten that I hadn't told anyone about this."

"About what?" I asked, growing slightly irritated. Couldn't she just tell me already?

"Just before I fell asleep, I managed to knock Lycanroc out," she finally explained. "It wasn't much but I had hoped it would stop him from killing." She shrugged. "Apparently not."

"How?" I asked.

"It's actually quite simple. If you aim for a specific part of the skull, you can make the brain-" she started to explain.

"No, as in how did you not fall asleep from the Slumber Orb?" I quickly corrected myself, as I had little desire to hear about how to properly kill someone. Times like these I was reminded of the fact that she was the Ultimate Assassin.

"I did," Greninja said. "I just managed to get to Lycanroc before I succumbed." She seemed to frown under her tongue. "Though it was rather strange. It seemed Lycanroc had another orb and I think that he used it just before I managed to get to him. His entire body seemed to flicker the moment just before I kicked him. I didn't think much of it since I fell under soon after." She placed a finger at the tip of her mouth. "But now that I think of it, it is strange."

"It is," I agreed with a frown. He had another orb? Marowak did say that three orbs were missing from Kecleon's shop. That was the second one accounted for. But I had no idea what it did or where it was now. I turned to Grovyle. "Grovyle," I said carefully, interrupting his investigation of the garden.

He glanced at me, looking slightly irritated. "What?"

"Er…" I flinched. "W-what happens to orbs when they are used?"

"Hell, if I know," he grunted, turning away from me.

"They disappear," Greninja kindly answered, before a flash of realization flashed across her eyes. "They disappear."

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"No, no it's just…" Greninja mused. "I think I should test this out beforehand." She looked at both me and Grovyle. "Can I trust the two of you to handle this investigation?" she asked.

Grovyle frowned but shrugged. "No problem."

"Good." Greninja nodded, before hopping out of the greenhouse.

"What was that all about?" Ribombee asked, startling me. I had forgotten that she was even here.

"No idea," Grovyle grunted before he too turned towards the door. "Come on Braixen. Now's the perfect time for me to finally see the body." He walked out and, after saying a quick good-bye to Ribombee, I hurried after him.

"Do you have any suspicions?" I asked, nervously.

He eyed me carefully for a couple of seconds. "One," he admitted, finally.

"Who?" I cheered internally. If he only had one suspect, then this would be easy.

To my surprise, he shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"But if you tell me then I can back up your claim," I insisted.

"I… I really doubt that you would," Grovyle said, slowly. "Anyway, my theory could change after we see the body."

My stomach churned, as we moved closer to the Berserker's Gym. "Are you sure that we have to check it?" I asked, weakly. "We have the information from the Victim File. There's really no reason…" My voice quickly died, when I noticed the scowl forming on his face.

"Stop moving," Grovyle ordered, and I did, giving him a confused look. "What's your problem?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, nervously.

"You're fucking pathetic," Grovyle said, coldly. I flinched, but he wasn't done yet. "Your life is on the line, yet you seem fine with not doing anything and letting everyone else do the work. Do you even want to live?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but he just raised his claws, silencing it. "Save it. I don't care. The only thing that matters is that you stay with _me_ during _my_ investigation. After that, I could care less about what you do. Throw yourself off Sharpedo's Bluff for all I care." He started to move again, past the bridge. "Now let's see that body."

In stunned silence, I walked behind him without saying a word.

The Berserker Gym aka the scene of the murder was still packed, though not so much that we couldn't even get in. Metang, Blissey, Zebstrika, and Lucario were still inside. Lycanroc was tied up nearby, mumbling softly to himself. "Hello," Grovyle greeted with a nod. I said nothing.

"H-hi?" Zebstrika noticed my downcast look.

"I'm assuming that you want to study the body?" Metang asked.

Grovyle nodded.

"I can help with that!" Blissey said, excitedly, bounding over to the body. "First as the Victim File says Zoroark did indeed die from external bleeding. To be exact from this hole in his stomach." She pointed to the small hole that was still leaking blood. "Funnily enough, the wound goes straight through the body, without really hitting any internal organs. I could've probably saved him if I had gotten to him earlier." She blushed. "N-not that I would've. It's just too beautiful…" She gazed at Zoroark's body transfixed.

"Um… right." Grovyle blinked, slightly disturbed by how happy Blissey was. "Anything else?"

"Meh." Blissey snorted. "What else he says…"

Zebstrika slid quietly near me. "She's been like that this entire time," he whispered into my ear. "I don't know what's gotten into her? She's like… enjoying this." I didn't respond.

"We know that he was struggling at one point," Metang answered. "There are some scratch marks along his wrists where the handcuffs are."

"And he has a large wound on his head. Compared to the wound on his stomach though, it seems like that one was made about…" Blissey stopped speaking and glanced at Metang.

"Around three hours ago," Metang supplied.

Blissey nodded. "There ya go." She grinned, happily.

"I'm telling you that I didn't do it!" Lycanroc shouted, angrily.

Zebstrika tossed him a dry look. "He's been doing that for the past half an hour," he whispered. This time I just nodded, halfheartedly.

"Hmm…?" Grovyle noticed a metal rod that had been placed against the wall. He moved closer to investigate it, noticing that the top was covered in blood. "This is probably Zoroark's blood," he announced to the others.

Metang nodded. "Most likely. I don't believe anyone else is wounded."

Grovyle moved closer to Zoroark's body. "What's this?" he asked, tapping the gray piece of paper that had been placed around Zoroark's mouth.

"Duct tape," Metang smoothly answered. "I believe Pelipper has a stash in his gym for packages."

"The floor is wet," Grovyle noted next, tapping his foot on the ground. It was almost like he was going through a list of all the relevant clues that could be found. He turned to me. "Braixen didn't you say that there was a bunch of water when you opened the doors?"

"H-huh?" I looked up surprised. "Y-yes, I did." I could remember exactly what had happened…

_My feet heavy I moved towards the gym's doors and pulled them open. I jumped back, as cold water tinged red rushed around over my feet and spilled over onto the square._

"We can confirm this," Zebstrika said quickly. "This room was flooded. The sinks were overflowing, so the water got all over the floor."

"Let me out, you FUCKS!"

Blissey ignored Lycanroc. "Plus the stone doors are designed in a way that doesn't leave any gaps when they are closed. Water couldn't have escaped from here unless it got to the broken window."

"How do we know it didn't?" Grovyle asked.

Blissey gestured to Zoroark's forelegs, where his fur was soaking wet, up until it reached his knees. "From this," she explained. "If it went above the window then the water line on his body would've been higher about chest level."

"Right." Grovyle nodded, accepting that explanation. "I think that's pretty much everything. Now…" He moved closer to Zoroark's body, still hanging there between the bars of the exercise equipment. "Who _is_ he?"

Silence. "We don't know," Metang finally answered. "However, I do know that they were originally 16 pokemon picked for the Ultimate Team. But with recent events, I didn't think much of it." He looked down. "I-I apologize."

"We know his ultimate title," Zebstrika said, enthusiastically. "He's the Ultimate Illusionist! Umm…" He blinked. "Whatever that actually means."

"An Illusionist could refer to a magician of some kind," Metang explained. "However, I think it has much to do with Zoroark's ability, Illusion."

"Right, right," Grovyle nodded. "But that's beside the point if we don't even know _who_ this guy is." He scratched his head. "You say that there was meant to be 16 pokémon that were a part of the Ultimate Team but who's to say that this guy is one of them?"

"Hiya!" Monotuff popped into existence in the middle of the gym. "I can answer that question if you want!" It began to dance around, bouncing a Perfect Apple on its head. "Yup! Yup!"

"I'm going to murder _you_ , you stupid thing!"

Grovyle ignored Lycanroc. "Well then, answer it. Who is this pokémon then?"

"Zoroark, the Ultimate Illusionist," Monotuff answered, easily. "The sixteenth guild member. He's been a part of this group since the very beginning." It tilted its head, suddenly confused by the question. "He was here the first day. Did… did none of you introduce yourself to him?"

"We didn't even know he _existed_ ," Metang insisted.

"H-How sad…" Monotuff hung its head. "The Ultimate Team is unable to communicate properly. They even ignored one of their team members until he was so cruelly murdered." It sniffed. "How cruel," it repeated.

Grovyle rolled his eyes. "Get out of here," he snarled.

"No, wait!" Lycanroc cried. "Get me out of these handcuffs first."

Monotuff glanced at Lycanroc, shrugged, and teleported away.

"FUCKING DAMMIT!"

Everyone continued to ignore Lycanroc, as Grovyle glanced behind Zoroark to check the broken window, that was positioned right behind the body. "Braixen," he said, addressing me again. "You said that… when you woke up, someone had broken this window, alerting you to the body?"

I nodded. "Yes," I answered, simply.

"Is something wrong with that explanation?" Blissey asked. "Someone broke a window. Who cares?"

"It matters because then the culprit wanted us to find the body." Zebstrika glanced at me, then at Grovyle. "Am I right?"

"Pretty much," Grovyle said with a nod. "However, the real question is _why_?"

"I think we can safely say that the motive is involved." Metang piped up. "But I'm assuming what you meant was why did the culprit want us to find the body. We all would've found the body without their help."

Grovyle nodded. "Exactly." He scanned Zoroark's body. "This just seems extremely… complex for simple murder. All they would have to do is kill and make sure they aren't found." He frowned. "Why hang him up like this…?"

Metang was quiet for a second before he answered. "I do not know," he admitted, and I could hear how annoyed he felt about that admitting that. "But I guess we'll save that for the guild trial."

Grovyle sighed. "You're right," he said, looking somewhat annoyed. "Is there anything else, that I should know about?"

"Jeez…" Blissey grumbled. "What do you want a confession note?"

"I'll take that as a no." Grovyle spun around and began to leave before he stopped in the doorway and glanced back at me. "Braixen get over here. We're leaving."

"Uhh…" Zebstrika glanced at me and back at Grovyle. "Maybe it would be better if Braizen stayed here?" he suggested, before glancing at Zoroark's body. "Or maybe I could take her to her room-?"

"No," Grovyle interrupted, giving Zebstrika a narrowed look. "She's my investigation partner for now. I need her by my side so that I can keep an eye on her."

Zebstrika flinched. "A-Alright," he said, backing away.

I gave Zebstrika a reassuring smile and mouthed my thanks, as Grovyle left the building. I began to follow, only to stumble just before I reached the doorway, but I managed to quickly catch myself without anyone noticing. I glanced down at what I had tripped over and found a rock. A rock was just sitting there in the middle of the gym, wet possibly from the water that had once flooded the room.

All of a sudden, I felt incredibly stupid. What was I doing?

Grovyle was right.

"Braixen…?" Zebstrika said carefully, moving closer to me in worry. He caught a glimpse of the rock that I had nearly tripped over and gave me a look that was both worried and confused at the same time. "Are you sure…?"

I fake-laughed and just waved him off. "I'm fine," I insisted. "The body…" I scratched my head. "I think I might just be getting a headache after seeing a dead body." I quickly made an excuse, to hide my quickly plummeting heart. It was taking all my willpower to not break down then and there.

Zebstrika seemed unconvinced, but without even him a chance to say anything, I left behind the scene of the crime.

xXx

Grovyle headed into the guild, much to my surprise. "Why are we here?" I asked him, frowning.

"The motive," Grovyle replied. He glanced back at me and sighed, noticing my confused face. "The motive," he repeated, starting his explanation. "Monotuff said that if you were to die, then your closest would die."

"He called it…" I struggled to remember it for a second. "The Destiny Bond motive?"

"Destiny Bond is a move that only works when the user faints," Grovyle explained. "Basically the pokémon would use it against their opponent and after they had fainted, then their opponent would faint as well." He shook his head. "It's not a strategy that anyone really uses. After all, fainting would just get you kicked out of the dungeon."

I nodded, following along, as we climbed down the ladder. "So it's like Self-Destruct in a way?" I asked, drawing a connection.

Grovyle fell silent as he hopped off the ladder. "In a way," he replied, taking a right towards the Guildmaster's room.

I hopped off the ladder and froze looking at the main hall. "What happened?" I wondered aloud, noticing the scratch marks the adorned the walls of the hall, along with chairs from the mess hall that had been thrown all around the room. I spotted Gengar carrying a chair on his back, heading towards the mess hall. "Gengar?" I called out.

He freaked, and dropped the chair. "I didn't do it! I swear!"

I blinked. "Huh…?"

Grovyle narrowed his eyes. "Is that a confession?" he asked, mere steps away from the door to the Guildmaster's Office.

"N-No!" Gengar quickly said, his eyes going wide with panic. "It's just that…" He scratched the back of his head, thinking of the right thing to say. "You know, ghost-types aren't the most trustworthy of pokémon and with an ultimate title like mine, people are bound to be suspicious…" He quickly shook his head. "I was just cleaning up," he finally explained, lamely.

Grovyle just made a sound. "Do you know what happened here?" he asked, impatiently. I wisely chose not to say anything.

"No," Gengar admitted. "Froslass and I just found it like this. Of course, Froslass didn't bother helping me put everything back…" He had muttered that last part.

"Don't worry about it," Grovyle suggested. "Focus on investigating for now. If we're alive by the end of this, then we can worry about cleaning up."

"R-right…" Gengar nodded.

"Braixen, come," Grovyle ordered as he entered the office. I was right behind him, ignoring the look that Gengar had tossed me. He ended up, just giving up on his cleaning endeavor.

Froslass was already inside the room, muttering to herself and wringing her hands, distraught as she had been when the body was first discovered. Instead, I focused my attention on the screen that was still on hanging from the wall, with the numbers 999,997 on it. I institutively touched the collar around my neck and winced. I was almost glad that I wouldn't have to experience being electrocuted again.

"Wait… that doesn't make any sense?" Gengar spoke up, eyeing the screen.

"What doesn't?" I asked.

"T-that's exactly w-what I said!" Froslass stammered, angrily. "I-Is this s-stupid thing b-broken?!"

"Broken?!" Monotuff teleported in from out of nowhere. "Nothing I make is broken, how dare you?!"

"EEEEEE!" Froslass screamed, quickly hiding behind Gengar, who rolled his eyes.

"But you said that if someone died then by extension their family would die," Gengar pointed out. "Yet someone has died, and the countdown hasn't gone down at all."

I blinked. "If that's the case then it's not working," I pointed out.

"Hmph." Monotuff snorted and turned its back on all of us. "It's working perfectly. There's nothing wrong with the motive at all. I'm actually pretty satisfied righ now, if I have to be honest."

"S-So…" Froslass suddenly spoke up. "W-what if I were to k-kill Gengar right now? W-would I be a-allowed to es-escape? Or I could just kill everyone here and survive by myself…"

"What?!" Gengar backed away from Froslass, as she snickered ominously.

"Hm…" Monotuff tilted its head. "That might be a problem…" It clapped its hands, as all of our collars gave out a small _beep_. I quickly opened up my E-Badge and flipped through the pages, before finally noticing that Monotuff had added a new rule.

"If two different murders by two different murderers occur at the same time, only the one whose victim was found first will be the blackened…" Gengar read aloud, before squinting his eyes, mumbling the same sentence to himself again.

"Tch." Froslass scowled. "S-so it's a n-no, huh?"

Monotuff nodded.

Gengar let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Arceus…"

Monotuff disappeared.

"Once again, it leaves without any warning," Grovyle grumbled. "It must be enjoying this, watching us run around trying to solve a murder."

"On that note, did you guys figure it out yet?" Gengar asked, curiously.

"O-Of course n-not," Froslass hissed. "If that were the case, I doubt that they would be here right now."

"Ah…" Gengar chuckled awkwardly. "I guess you're right…"

"No," Grovyle replied. "At least Braixen and I haven't figured out the culprit. But we still have some time-"

"Ahem!" Monotuff's voice interrupted Grovyle. "Right, I believe I have given you enough time for investigation. So, now we're going to start the guild trial. Will everyone please gather on Sharpedo's Bluff and look for the hidden entrance to bring you down to the trial chamber!"

Grovyle scowled. "Never mind, I guess."

xXx

It hadn't taken long at all for the four of us to reach Sharpedo's Bluff. We were the last pokémon to arrive and everyone else had already begun searching. Lycanroc was still tied up and had been left near the greenhouse to sulk. As I glanced at him, he seemed to struggle against his bonds for a second, before immediately giving up.

Grovyle turned to me. "Well this is where our _temporary_ partnership ends," he told me, with a half-hearted shrug. He turned away from me and paused. "Good-bye." He walked away, towards Marowak. She glanced over in my direction, before handing Grovyle a slip of paper.

"W-what is this?" Froslass grumbled. "W-were you two in s-some sort of r-relationship? I-is this the f-fabled break-up, I h-hear so much about?" She floated away, snickering, and Gengar followed, but not before shooting me a concerned look.

I just stood there, stunned at how easily he had written me off. I began to move a few minutes later, heading to the edge of the cliff, where no one was searching and looked down at the sparkling water below.

I swallowed.

 _Grovyle was right,_ I suddenly realized. _I have no place here. Someone's dead. And I'm probably going to be next. I'm useless in this situation. Useless. Absolutely Useless._

_I should just…_

"Braixen?" I stopped suddenly, a foot hanging off the edge of the cliff. My throat closed up and I scrambled back, into Metang. He managed to catch me, and twirled me around to face him. "What was that?" he asked me.

At that moment, I just fell apart and told my hero everything. About what Grovyle had said. How terrifying it was for me to find the body. Scared of potentially dying. And the general feeling that I was just holding everyone back.

Metang just patiently waited for me to finish, until I had lost all of my breath. Luckily no one had wandered over, so it was only the two of us.

"I understand," he finally said. "However I don't think you have anything to worry about. No one here hates you that's for certain. I'll have a talk with Grovyle after the trial and maybe make him see some sense."

"It's not only that," I muttered. "I just don't know what to do. This trial… there isn't really anything I can do to help is there?"

Metang paused. "No," he finally admitted. "While your testimony is invaluable, I'm assuming that's not what you want." He let out a sigh, which sounded strange coming from him. "Braixen your presence will be vital to this trial, everyone's is. You're going to have to make a choice on what you want to do during it, and I trust in you to make the correct one."

I looked up. "You trust me?"

Metang nodded. "But you're going to have to live right now. Just because you're scared… well, I'm sure everyone here is a little scared. But, you're going to have to persevere through this trial, if you want to save everyone. Do you understand?"

I wiped the tears away from eyes. "Y-yes..." I muttered.

_Come on, Braixen you can do this…_

"Yes," I said a little more firmly. "I can."

Metang smiled softly. "That's great. Now then-!" The words were barely out of his mouth when suddenly Lucario shouted from nearby.

"I found it!" He announced, pulling away a large bush to reveal a set of staircases leading down.

Porygon, who I hadn't seen in the entirety of the investigation, smirked. "Excellent dungeon skills Lucario."

"Oh… uh…" Lucario flushed. "It was thanks to everyone else that we managed to find it so quickly! Not only me! We all worked together! That's what a team does."

Porygon seemed unimpressed. "Right."

"Perhaps we should just head inside," Greninja suggested. "No need to keep Monotuff waiting, if we can help it."

"Agreed." Marowak nodded. "Let's just rip the bandage off as quickly as possible." She was the first one to head down the stairs.

The rest of us followed her down and found ourselves in the jaws of the carved Sharpedo. "I didn't know that there was something like this here," Ribombee said, her mouth wide open.

"Hey…" Noivern looked around. "Is something supposed to happen?"

"Please make sure that every living guild member is inside," Monotuff voice instructed.

"Oh… we forgot Lycanroc…" Pelipper laughed nervously.

"I'll get him," Greninja offered, hopping back above ground, and returning a few moments later with a still-tied up Lycanroc.

"You're all assholes," he grumbled.

Before anyone could counter, the jaws of the Sharpedo suddenly slammed shut, leaving everyone in inky blackness. A couple of us screamed, including me much to my displeasure. _Come on Braixen you can do this…_

A light flickered on above us, granting us some sight from some sort of glass contraption. "Florescent light," Marowak was kind to inform us.

No one really cared enough to ask for details.

After a few moments, I finally realized what was going on. We were all moving _down_. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach along with the shaking of the room around us and the fact that the staircase that we had come from was replaced by a set of steel bars.

None of us even bothered question it even, all of us too tense and worn out. And the main event had yet to start, we had all realized on our own.

Soon enough, our descent slowed down and stopped with a pleasant, " _Ding!_ " The steel bars slid open to reveal the trial room.

It was actually rather beautiful in an ominous sort of way. It actually reminded me a lot of a graveyard. The floor and walls were covered in moss and overgrown grass, peaking out through the cracked stone. In the back, Monotuff was seated in a large intricately carved stone throne, a glass of… something in its arms. In the middle of the room, was a series of ten stone columns, them to covered in moss and grass. They were carved out with platforms at the bottom and some sort of armrests at the sides.

On one of them was a stand with a portrait of Zoroark, some faded out pink lines making an "X," across his face. I swallowed when I realized that it was a gravestone in a way. He had been brutally murdered and this was how we were supposed to respect his passing.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Monotuff asked, waving its glass at us. "The stands are pre-assigned. Just find yours."

In complete silence, everyone split up to find where they would be standing. Lucario was the first one to find his place. He let out a terrified squeak, as he stepped into the platform and it started to float in midair. "What… what are these things?!" He cried.

Monotuff shrugged. "State of the art trial equipment. You should be happy I didn't skimp out."

I found my place at the east of the circle (if Monotuff could be considered north), but was unhappy to find that I was right next to Lycanroc. Going clockwise and starting with me it was: Me, Porygon-2, Froslass, Gengar, Ribombee, Lucario, Noivern, Grovyle, Greninja, Zebstrika, Blissey, Pelipper, Marowak, Metang, Zoroark, and finally Lycanroc.

"Ah…" Monotuff looked around to see that everyone had taken a spot. "I guess if everyone's ready, we can begin the trial." Was it my imagination or did his eyes linger on me for a bit? I blinked, and he had moved back to staring eagerly at his drink.

I drew in a sharp intake of breath, my mind racing.

_Someone had died. Someone that we didn't know granted, but nevertheless, someone had killed another._

_I didn't know who could've done it. All I know is that I hadn't been the one._

"So is everyone ready?" Monotuff asked.

_N-No._

_I was not ready._

"We are ready," someone said.


	5. My World, Your Illusion (Part 4)

Chapter 4: My World, Your Illusion- The Trial

* * *

It was Metang who had answered Monotuff. Out of everyone he seemed to be the calmest about the current situation and he floated there, waiting for the discussion to start.

Monotuff nodded. "Well then, I guess I should give a basic explanation of how this class trial works then." It cleared its throat, as we all gazed at the thing silently. Monotuff fidgeted under the stares, before starting to speak. "This is a class trial, in which you all will use the clues and evidence that you have gathered to create arguments for who the blacked may be. Then you will vote for who you believe the blackened may be."

Its voice grew more sinister. "Correctly vote and the blackened will be punished. Vote for the incorrect person and I'll instead punish everyone other than the blackened and that person will be allowed to go back home! And if you don't vote then I get to kill you!"

I gulped. So, there wasn't even a way to avoid voting and not participate.

"Then let's get this amazing, despair-filled class trial started! Begin!" Monotuff shouted, the smirk on its face growing slightly wider.

A silence followed Monotuff's small speech. "S-so where do we start?" Ribombee asked.

"I've never actually done anything like this before," Pelipper laughed nervously, but it quickly died when no one joined him.

"I believe we should start with the murder weapon," Greninja suggested her eyes narrowed. "If we can figure out what the weapon was then that's just one step closer."

"Agreed," Porygon said, with a nod.

"it's not like we need it when we already know who the killer is," Zebstrika muttered under his breath, stealing a glance at Lycanroc.

"I FUCKING SAID-!"

"Regardless, building a proper case against Lycanroc comes first," Metang interrupted. "If we vote too hastily and end up being incorrect, then our lives are forfeit along with the ones that have been connected to us by the motive."

Zebstrika sighed. "Right." He still gave Lycanroc a sneaky glare, which he responded to by just crossing his arms and giving a small huff.

"Alright then!" Lucario said, enthusiastically, somewhat managing to bring up the mood from its downward spiral. "Let's first figure out the murder weapon!"

"Judging by the Victim File…" Marowak started to say. "Zoroark died from external bleeding. It also lists three of the wounds that he had. That is..." She eyed Monokuma carefully. "If we can trust the information that Monotuff is giving us after all."

Monotuff looked slightly irritated. "Of course, you can trust the victim file!" it snapped, rather quickly.

"We can trust it," Blissey said. "I double checked all of the wounds on Zoroark's body and made sure that everything listed in the victim file mirrored my autopsy." She let out a small giggle. "However, I can tell you that the killing wound was most likely the large hole in the body's chest area. The other two wounds in the victim file weren't enough to cause his death."

"In that case, the only weapon that we found in the Berserker Gym was the steel pole," Metang said smoothly. "Not only is it the only thing in the gym with blood, but it also matches the wound in Zoroark's chest."

Grovyle nodded. "I agree," he said, his arms folded. "At the very least I didn't notice any other weapon that could've caused that wound."

"I guess that's settled then," Marowak said. "I guess we can narrow down that fact that the steel pole was also what caused Zoroark's head wound."

"Most likely," Blissey answered. "Hitting him on the head was most likely done to render Zoroark unconscious so that they could tie him up in between the exercise equipment."

"Alright," Gengar said, shakily. "We know that the steel pole was the weapon. Whatever. What I want to know is who the fuck is this Zoroark, guy?!" He slammed his hands against his stone column. "He suddenly shows up dead when we never even knew that he existed!"

"Maybe we should ask Lycanroc," Zebstrika muttered, shooting Lycanroc a look. Lycanroc clenched his teeth and seemed to be holding himself back from launching himself at Zebstrika. He took a deep breath, calming himself down, as I watched.

"G-Gengar i-is r-right," Froslass stammered. "H-he came out of nowhere! H-He w-wasn't even a part of the motive!"

"The motive?" Ribombee asked.

"Yeah," Gengar scratched the top of his head. "Monotuff did say that if someone had gotten killed then the ones connected to them through Destiny Bond would also be killed, right?"

"That I did," Monotuff confirmed, chowing down on a Perfect Apple.

I frowned and tried to think back to when Monotuff had introduced the motive. It was slightly hard given the fact that I had gotten electrocuted, but I did somewhat remember Monotuff saying something like that. "But the number didn't change," I said, speaking up for the first time during the trial.

"Correct," Metang answered with a nod. "If that's the case then we have two options. One Monotuff somehow did something wrong. Or two-"

"Two is that Zoroark was immune to that part of the motive for some reason," Greninja finished for Metang. "However, that can easily be explained if he wasn't a part of the motive in the first place."

"Well?" Porygon demanded, his eyes narrowed at Monotuff. "What's your answer guildmaster?" he asked it. "Did you just happen to make a mistake?"

"Nope!" Monotuff quickly said. "There haven't been any mistakes made in regards to the motive. In fact…" Monotuff's strange grin grew wider as it said its next words. "Zoroark was always a part of the motive."

A silence fell everyone as we all digested this new information. "S-So t-then," Froslass was the first to speak. "W-why did the number not change?"

"So, he was immune to the motive like Greninja suggested," Noivern said. "That isn't fair! Why was he the only one?"

"Perhaps, there's something about the motive that we are missing," Ribombee suggested, thoughtfully. "If I recall the number corresponded to the number of people that Monotuff took hostage from us."

"That is correct," Metang said with a nod. "We also know that the number would go down every day and would also lower itself if someone were to die." His voice got low. "Including if someone were to be executed after this trial…"

"Nevertheless, this does not explain how Zoroark was immune to the motive," Porygon scowled.

Lycanroc shrugged and scratched the tip of his snout. "Maybe he didn't have anyone that Monotuff captured," he suggested halfheartedly.

Everyone turned to look at Lycanroc.

"Yes…" Metang said slowly. "If that was the case, his number would be zero and the count wouldn't have gone down when he was killed."

"I-is that possible?" Zebstrika asked, his eyes wide.

"Obviously," Blissey said in a snarky fashion. I gave her a confused look. Blissey's attitude and personality had done a complete 180 at the start of the trial. No…she had been acting strange since they all had found the body. "The count is still the same."

"That makes sense." I turned to look at the person who was talking, who happened to be Grovyle. "It would make sense for him to hide then. Having zero connections to the people captured would make someone a target for murder."

Noivern looked confused. "How so?" she asked.

Lucario grimaced. "What's better?" he asked the room quietly, his eyesight trained on the ground, unable to look anyone in the eye. "Killing only one person or killing more than that."

"…oh…" Noivern mumbled quietly.

"Hmph," Marowak snorted. "This motive is craftier than I expected it to be." She narrowed her eyes at Monotuff. "You're sick."

"Thank you!"

"That's nice," Porygon said dryly. "So, we have our motive and our biggest suspect."

"Lycanroc, right?" Zebstrika asked eagerly.

"You can't be serious!" Lycanroc snapped, equal parts angry and flabbergasted. "I just gave you an answer! Why won't you assholes believe me when I say that I'm innocent?!"

"Because you're the one who put us to sleep," Noivern pointed out. "Who else could it be?"

"I don't remember that!" Lycanroc protested. "I didn't go to your stupid meeting. I was just staying in my room, when…" He hesitated.

"When…?" Gengar pressed.

"Urgh…" Lycanroc grimaced. "I don't know what happened. One minute I was standing in my room, the next I was outside. Then I felt something hit my head and everything went black." He scowled at me. "When I woke up I found her in my personal gym with a dead body."

"Can we take that as an admission of guilt?" Porygon asked, dryly.

"Fuck you."

"I'll take that as agreement."

As Lycanroc let loose a string of curses at Porygon, Lucario turned to Grovyle. "Grovyle did you see Lycanroc? You were the only other person who wasn't at the meeting."

Grovyle stayed silent for a couple of seconds, before shaking his head. "No," he replied. "I definitely didn't see Lycanroc before I came up after the body had been discovered."

"I guess that settles it," Pelipper said, letting out a small sigh of relief. "That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be…"

"Y-you d-didn't do anything though…" Froslass muttered.

"Ah," Greninja suddenly piped up. "There is something about Lycanroc's story that does make some sense, however."

"What is it?" Blissey asked.

"I do distinctly remember knocking him out, just before I fell asleep from the slumber orb," she explained. "So if anything that part of his story does check out."

"Wait…" Gengar said slowly. "If Lycanroc was knocked out, then how did he could he kill someone?"

"Exactly!" Lycanroc grinned. "See, of course, it wasn't-!

"Quiet," Porygon hissed. Lycanroc quickly clamped his mouth shut, realizing that it wasn't a good idea to continue talking. "Yes," Porygon continued now addressing Gengar. "That is true. If we trust what Greninja says then Lycanroc wouldn't have been able to set up the murder scene while knocked out."

"Maybe he had something to wake himself up!" Zebstrika argued.

"A reviver seed, maybe?" Lucario suggested.

"There wasn't anything like that missing from Kecleon's Shop," Marowak dismissed.

"There was a chesto berry missing from Ribombee's farm," Greninja pointed out.

"Then Lycanroc used that!" Zebstrika said with a nod. "That makes sense!"

"W-wait!" Lycanroc said, his eyes wide. "I didn't-!"

Amid Lycanroc panicking, I finally found my voice again. "But chesto berries are used to wake someone up from sleep," I pointed out, nervously. "The fact that Lycanroc was knocked out means that a chesto berry wouldn't work on him." An eerie silence fell upon the room that I did not like. "R-right?" I asked, shakily.

"S-she's correct," Ribombee said. "You would need a different type of berry or herb to wake a pokémon from unconsciousness."

"Ha, yes!" Lycanroc cheered, pumping a fist into the air, before quickly quieting down when he noticed everyone sending a glare his way.

"Fine," Zebstrika said angrily. "Then we just need to find a way to prove Lycanroc managed to wake up after he used the slumber orb."

Porygon hummed. "I disagree," he said. "We shouldn't be focusing all of our energy into proving that it was Lycanroc. There are still some mysteries that we have to figure out." He looked around the room with a bland expression on his face, though he always looked like that, so I had trouble figuring out what he was thinking. "The body was propped in a strange position. How about making that our next talking point?"

"Fine," Zebstrika relented.

"He was handcuffed to the exercise equipment," Marowak described. "Perhaps to keep him still so that the killer could more easily plunge the weapon into his body."

"Those handcuffs came from the Berserker Gym," Metang explained. "Since the body was found inside, we can assume that the killer always had access to them."

"And the duct tape?" Marowark asked.

"Duct tape?" Pelipper paled.

"W-what?" Froslass stammered. "Y-you h-have s-something to s-say?!"

"Well you can find duct tape inside the Deliveryman Gym," Gengar pointed out.

"Then it must've been Peli-Pelipper!" Froslass accused.

"Wait it wasn't me!" Pelipper wailed holding his head.

"I don't think it was Pelipper," Grovyle said. "Anyone could have gotten duct tape from his gym. It doesn't have any sort of lock on it, correct?"

Pelipper nodded silently.

"So there," Metang said, conclusively. "All the materials involved in this murder was readily available by anyone. Anyone could've taken the duct tape from the post office and anyone could've taken the handcuffs from the scene of the crime."

"What about the exercise equipment that Zoroark was attached to?" Porygon asked sharply. "Is that any sort of lead we could possibly follow?"

"Eh…" Lycanroc scratched his snout. "I dunno. Braixen and I just set it up the day before."

All eyes turned to me. I gulped. "Is this true?" Porygon glared at me.

I nodded. "Y-yeah," I said, finding my voice. "He kinda forced me to help him…"

"Forced-?!" Lycanroc started to yell before Greninja shushed him.

"Did you notice anything strange when you were setting it up with Lycanroc?" Marowak asked. When I shook my head, she sighed and turned to Lycanroc.

"Nah." Lycanroc scratched his chin. "We followed the directions perfectly."

Pelipper groaned. "Another dead end."

"Not exactly," Grovyle said, suddenly turned his glare into me. I took an involuntary step back, as everyone turned to look at Grovyle.

"What are you talking about?" Metang asked, unable to hide the surprise from his voice.

Grovyle's brow furrowed. "I haven't finished my testimony," he said flatly. "Before I came up from the guild hall I was attacked by Braixen and stunned with a seed. A Stun Seed to be specific."

Everyone fell silent, digesting the information I assumed, but I could barely pay attention. My head was spinning, trying to grasp his new information. "That's… that's not true…" I finally said, dumbly. "I was asleep. Like everyone else."

"Unless you managed to escape," Grovyle countered. "Perhaps using an orb from Kecleon's shop?"

I blinked. "Huh?" I could only say, a sinking pit in my stomach.

"You were also the first one to wake up," Grovyle continued. "You were the first one to discover the body." His eyes swiveled to Noivern. "Isn't that right?"

"Um…" Noivern awkwardly scratched her head. "Y-yeah, s-she was. I only woke up because of her." She glanced at Braixen nervously. "She was definitely the first one at the body at least as far as I know."

"And how do you know that she wasn't the one who killed Zoroark before you arrived?" Grovyle asked.

"Uhh…" Noivern blinked.

"What are you getting at?" Marowak asked dryly. "You're accusing the partner that helped with your investigation."

"I'm just saying we're taking Braixen at her word far too easily," Grovyle said. "I know what I saw. And I saw Braixen shooting flames at me trying to kill me."

Pelipper perked up. "With her stick?"

"I'm pretty sure that's a rude phrase in Fennekin lines that involve procreation," Porygon dryly point out, as I shot Pelipper a horrified look.

"Oh." For whatever reason, he didn't apologize and instead just turned his head looking bored.

"We already know that Lycanroc killed Zoroark," Zebstrika spat.

"No, we know that he was the only one unable to use the Chesto berry in order to wake up," Grovyle said. "Greninja's account confirms as much."

Blissey giggled. "So out of all of us, you're saying his word is the only one you can trust."

Grovyle nodded. "Exactly." He folded his arms. "So, all we need is an explanation on how he appeared in the clearing from his room as he says."

"Ah." Marowak looked mildly surprised. "Are you talking about the missing orbs?"

Grovyle nodded.

"There are only a couple of orbs that can move pokémon from one location to another," Marowak explained. "I believe the two main ones are known as the Switcher Orb and the Rollcall Orb."

"I know about those," Lucario said with a nod. "A Switcher Orb switches the place of two pokémon through teleportation and the Rollcall Orb teleports teammates to the pokémon who used it. However, both can only be used on people that you at least know the face and name of."

"Right." Grovyle nodded. "And we can narrow it done to only one." He turned to Greninja. "Did you see another Lycanroc, before you fell asleep?"

Greninja thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No," she replied. "I'm fairly certain there was only one."

"In that case, it's probably the Switcher Orb that was used," Grovyle reasoned. "That way the two Lycanrocs can switch their positions at the moment just before Greninja attacked the one that she saw."

A moment of silence followed before I heard Zebstrika snort. "You can't be serious," he scoffed. "You're telling us that there are two Lycanrocs? What's next there's like a billion of me?" He let out a short laugh before looking blankly at Metang, the unofficial leader of this discussion. "You can't be seriously humoring this."

"I'd have to agree, Grovyle," Porygon said. "If I must remind you, you weren't at the meeting. What makes you think we can trust your word?"

Grovyle sighed and rubbed the tip of his leaf as if choosing his next words very carefully. "What do we know about our victim?" he finally asked.

"Our-?!" Zebstrika growled.

"Don't try and twist my words!" Grovyle snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"He was supposedly our sixteenth team member," Pelipper answered, a bit nervously.

"Male. About eighteen or seventeen years of age. Died due to blood loss," Blissey ratted off quickly like she was reading stats.

"He was known as the Ultimate Illusionist," Ribombee said.

"Fitting for a Zoroark," Pelipper muttered.

"Ah." Greninja closed her eyes. "I understand what Grovyle is saying now."

"What? What?" demanded Noivern. "I don't get it!"

"An Illusionist," Metang murmured.

"Exactly," Grovyle nodded. "I propose that Lycanroc wasn't the one who activated the Slumber Orb. Rather it was Zoroark himself who activated it."

"Oh." Gengar blinked. "In that case, Lycanroc's testimony actually makes sense. If we are assuming one of the orbs used were a Switcher Orb then Zoroark was just switched with Lycanroc, while he was inside in his room."

"Exactly." Grovyle nodded. "Which means that someone was the one who switched the places of Lycanroc and Zoroark was probably Zoroark himself. A Switcher Orb can only be used to switch the places of its user and another pokémon, so it's not like another one of us could even attempt it like how it happened."

"True," Porygon agreed. "But I don't see how Braixen is suddenly the killer."

"As I said," Grovyle stressed. "Braixen attacked me with one of her moves and I had managed to dodge it before getting hit by a stun seed." He gave me a look. "We know that someone used a Chesto Berry to wake up from their forced sleep. I do remember Braixen going into the Botanist Gym before the murder."

"And she did help me set up my weights," Lycanroc mumbled, as I sent him a horrified look. He noticed it and looked away scratching his head.

"That isn't definite proof," Grovyle replied, ignoring Zebstrika's seething glares at both him and Lycanroc. "But it is something to consider."

"Alright then," Noivern said, tapping the bottom of her mouth with her claw. "You said Braixen attacked you… then why did she leave you after attacking you-"

"She stunned me," Grovyle corrected. "With a stun seed. It's one of the items that was missing in the shop."

"Stunned you," Noivern corrected. "So, you could be easily killed, dude. Why didn't she just finish the job, you know?"

Grovyle rolled his eyes. "I _don't_ know," he drawled. "Why don't we ask Braixen about it?" All eyes turned to me.

I sucked in some air. "I-I d-don't…" I stammered helplessly. "I was asleep."

"That isn't a good defense," Metang said, gently. "We already established someone used a chesto berry to wake up from the effects of the Slumber Orb. The problem is that we don't know who took the Chesto berry from the garden."

I could only stare at him. "I was asleep," I repeated, weakly, my head turning. A way for me to defend myself… I just didn't have one.

"Wait a minute, Grovyle," Greninja suddenly said coming to my rescue. "If what you're saying is true then Braixen decided to attack you and could've… but then decided to switch targets in the middle of her plan and kill Zoroark?"

Grovyle narrowed his eyes, not at Greninja, but at me. "Yes," he confirmed, not looking towards Greninja. "I know that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

"It doesn't," Gengar piped up. "If Zoroark was under his illusion so that none of us could ever see him, then how would Braixen know about him?" When Grovyle didn't answer, he pressed him by saying, "Zoroark was invisible to us, so unless she knows an easy way to see through illusions there was no way for her to know that he existed."

"They are right," Metang agreed, turning to Grovyle. "Do you really believe that Braixen could've possibly committed a crime like this?"

Grovyle continued to glare at me, before finally turning his head to the side. "No," he scowled, not at Metang but at _me_. "But I promise I did see Braixen try to attack me and I remember her as the one who threw the Stun Seed."

"I-It's t-true," Froslass stammered out. "The way the main hall looked after he was killed proves what he was saying." Grovyle nodded.

"Well in that case," Pelipper muttered. "Couldn't it have been Zoroark that attacked you?" As all eyes turned to him, he balked. "I'm just saying!" he snapped, nervously. "If the guy disguised himself as Lycanroc then what would be stopping him from disguising himself as Braixen in order to trick Grovyle and kill him!"

"Why would he need to disguise himself as Braixen if the only person there was Grovyle?" Lycanroc pointed out with a scowl. "He was going to kill him anyway."

Grovyle was quiet as Marowak chuckled. "Aha, I understand," she said, eyeing Grovyle. "Scared of a little fire, are we?"

Grovyle stiffened. "Says who?" he shot back.

"All you small grass types are terrified of a little flame," Marowak mocked. "I was wondering how a stun seed had hit such a speedy pokémon like you but… you were doing your best to avoid the flames right? Well…" she chuckled. "Illusionary flames."

Grovyle glared at her. "She caught me off guard and managed to corner me," he admitted. "I threw apart the main hall trying to get away, but eventually I was hit by the stun seed."

"And…?" Porygon asked.

"And the final hit never came," Grovyle explained. "I don't know what happened to Braixen. The paralysis faded after a little while and that's when I came to the surface and found all of you in the clearing." He gave Porygon a scathing look. "Is that good enough?"

"Good, sure," Porygon admitted. "I don't understand why you didn't come to the meeting, however."

Grovyle scowled. I could tell that this line of questioning wasn't what he had planned, or it was something he hadn't anticipated. "No one told me about it."

"You're wrong!" Lucario contradicted. "I know for a fact that I told you about it. You just said that you didn't want to come!"

Grovyle shrugged indifferently. "How could I have done that if I had never heard of the meeting before the investigation?"

"Why you…" Lucario growled.

"Hmm…" Metang hummed. "Grovyle says that he was never told about the meeting, yet Lucario claims that he did tell Grovyle about the meeting. Either one of them is lying or both are telling the truth."

Ribombee stared at Metang. "How could both of them be telling the truth?" she asked. "One contradicts the other."

"We know that Zoroark was an illusionist… and that he disguised himself as Lycanroc," Metang explained. "That's what makes the most sense with Greninja and Lycanroc's testimony. Who's to say that he wasn't mimicking people even before that?"

Blissey blinked. "That would be… well crazy," she pointed out. "Someone would've noticed."

"Not if they were incorporating themselves naturally," Greninja argued back. "Let's be honest, we barely know each other so if he pretended to be us, it would be rather hard for us to figure out it was an imposter."

Ribombee glanced at me, worriedly. "We did run out of food one day," she said, thoughtfully. "I was wondering what happened… perhaps Zoroark took it for himself."

"Um…" I raised my hand awkwardly. "I did see Lycanroc in Kecleon's store before the murder," I admitted. "I thought I was seeing things at first because I ran into Lycanroc afterward inside guild hall."

Porygon just stared. "And you only thought to mention this now?"

I flinched. "I mean…" I started to say, before realizing that I really didn't have any excuse.

"Hm…" Metang hummed. "Then it's most likely that Zoroark was there to take some items from the shop and used Lycanroc's form in order to avoid raising any questions if anyone saw him."

"What the fuck, man?!" Lycanroc raged.

"So all this time…" Zebstrika said. "Zoroark has been around, he's just been invisible or disguising himself as one of us?" He made a disgusted face. "That's kinda creepy."

"You mean the Grovyle I was talking to was actually…" Lucario's face paled. "Zoroark?"

"Yes," Metang said with a nod. "Which means that Zoroark intentionally tried to get Grovyle not to come to the meeting so that he would be alone?"

Grovyle was silent for a few seconds. "Correct," he agreed with a mutter.

"Which means if Zoroark was meaning to kill had had specifically aimed for Grovyle," Metang continued. "So that begs the question…" He turned his entire body to face Grovyle. "What made you so special to our victim?"

Grovyle was quiet, but anyone could tell that he was internally furious. He turned his eyes towards me and I unconsciously let out a small squeak of fear. He was mad at _me_. Something about this trial hadn't gone the way that he had wanted it and he was furious.

It only lasted an instant as he turned to Metang to answer the question. "I don't know," he replied, coolly.

"What's your Ultimate title, Grovyle?" Metang asked as everyone seemed to perk up. "In fact, I don't recall you ever telling me or anyone else what it was."

Grovyle gave Metang a suspicious look. "Why does that matter?" he asked.

"Don't answer a question with another question," Marowak scolded. "You're dodging the question."

Grovyle scowled. "I don't remember."

A variety of reactions from everyone. I was mostly surprised. He never gave off the impression that he didn't remember. "What do you mean?" Metang asked.

"I have amnesia," Grovyle explained further, holding his head. "I can't remember anything from before we woke up in our rooms at the guild. Other than my name, my memories are completely wiped." He eyed Monotuff. "I assume that thing has something to do with it."

Monotuff shrugged. "I dunno. If your brain is broken then it's not my responsibility to fix it."

"Amnesia?" Blissey repeated, looking curious. "No head injury." When Grovyle shook his head, she looked a little more thoughtful. "Maybe something traumatic occurred before coming here?"

"Something more traumatic than this?" Grovyle pointed out, gesturing at the trial room around them.

Blissey chuckled. "I guess you're right…"

"That still doesn't explain why Zoroark targeted you specifically," Metang pointed out. "Amnesia isn't a substantial motivation for Zoroark to target you."

Grovyle was silent for a second. "It could have something to do with the motive," he finally said with a scowl.

"Motive?" Gengar blinked.

Grovyle took a deep breath. "Like Zoroark, I also have zero people connected to me due to the motive," he admitted. "A person with their entire past wiped from his mind doesn't really have a family to look back on." He sighed. "I assume that Zoroark since he had no one connected to him from the motive, though he could kill the least amount of people by killing me and escaping." He scowled. "And I managed to win in our fight then at least only one person would ever die."

When he finished explaining, everyone fell silent. "But," Pelipper suddenly said. "If the murderer wins then don't all of us die in the end?"

"We never knew that," Greninja muttered. "Not until after the murder. Something like this…" She gestured to the room. "None of us could've predicted it."

Marowak closed her eyes. "In that case, by aiming for Grovyle, he was hoping to minimize the death count." She glanced at Grovyle. "You're saying he confronted you, instead of stunning you in the back."

Grovyle nodded. "Yes. I thought it strange at first, but perhaps he was just trying to give me a chance to fight back."

"By pretending to be someone else," Lycanroc muttered

"So, if Grovyle is telling the truth," Porygon said. "Then he should've died, instead of Zoroark."

"So, something happened that caused Zoroark to change his mind," Lucario realized. "Or the true murderer attacked him." He scratched his head. "Arceus, this is confusing."

"Yeah…" Pelipper agreed, chuckling nervously.

"So Zoroark was trying to murder Grovyle, but someone else killed Zoroark before he could finish the job?" Noivern asked.

"Yes," Metang answered. "That seems to be the case. In which case the question we must now answer is exactly who stopped Zoroark from killing Grovyle and how they brought him to the Berserker Gym."

"Umm…" Noivern raised a wing. "My question still wasn't answered."

Porygon glanced at her warily. "What question did you ask again?" he asked, wearily.

Noivern scowled. "I asked why Braixen didn't kill Grovyle when she had her chance."

"We established that the braixen who attacked me was actually Zoroark," Grovyle answered, dryly.

"Okay then. Why didn't Zoroark finish your snarky ass off?"

"Because someone intervened," Metang replied, patiently. "We've discussed as much."

Noivern scowled and, for once during the trial, I could relate to someone else's frustration. "Then why didn't that person kill Grovyle instead?" she finally spat out her main question. "If Grovyle was stunned and Zoroark under Braixen's guise was still up and moving, who's the better target?"

Most of them fell silent as they contemplated her words and I couldn't help but feel impressed by Noivern's ability to connect the dots like that. I hadn't even contemplated that dilemma and I had been the one who was accused.

"Grovyle, obviously," Porygon finally said.

Zebstrika stamped the ground with his front left hoof nervously. "Maybe the murderer was just a sick guy?" he suggested.

"We could be dealing with someone psychotic," Blissey recommended.

"That would be terrifying," Ribombee exclaimed.

Metang hummed. "Yes, it might be the grief and despair of the situation that caused the killer to do some unconventional things." He looked up. "In that case let's discuss-!"

"But that doesn't make sense."

Everyone turned to me, as I covered my mouth, horrified that I had just interrupted Metang.

Lucario's voice was low. "What do you mean?"

I let my mouth flap for a few seconds as I sought the exact words I wanted to say. "It doesn't make sense," I finally repeated. "We already know that Zoroark targeted Grovyle because the number of hostages that Monotuff had taken from him was zero. We also know that Zoroark was the same. Wouldn't it make more sense for the killer to know that Zoroark was disguising himself as me? I mean…" I swallowed. "I…I already lost someone. So, if the killer killed me then they would be killing my entire family in the process." Again, I swallowed. "Though, what they think saw was Grovyle and I fighting, not Zoroark and Grovyle fighting."

Metang was quiet for a moment. "If the blackened was in the right state of mind and had the motive of only saving their loved ones," he said slowly. "Then yes, they would most likely try to avoid killing more than one person."

I beamed, just happy that he agreed with me. "E-Exactly-!"

"But in that case, there's another possibility," Metang said. "The possibility that the blackened used another orb to teleport Zoroark disguised as you into the Berserker Gym."

I blinked. "What?"

Metang turned to Lucario. "You said the other orb that could teleport pokémon was called the Rollcall Orb?"

Lucario glanced at Metang warily. "Yeah…? But that would require the pokémon using it to actually be inside the Berserker Gym."

"Exactly," Metang's eyes gleamed. "I hypothesize that the killer teleported Zoroark into the Berserker Gym and killed him there. That way they didn't have to know about the fight Grovyle and Zoroark were having in the guild hall. Rather all they would have to do is teleport Zoroark to them."

"But-" I started to say but flinched when I saw Metang give me an exasperated look.

"Braixen, this is a murder trial," he said tersely. "We have no time to discuss frivolous theories."

I winced. "Y-yes, sir-"

"Don't." I looked to Grovyle, who looked absolutely furious. "Just don't."

"I-I'm sorry?" I stammered.

"Stop acting like a coward," Grovyle spat. "Your life is in danger. If you don't find the courage to speak up now than when will you?" When I didn't answer, he sighed. "You're smarter than you let on Braixen," he confessed. "So it's extremely irritating to me that you don't ever use your brain. The times when you did speak up during this trial was when you actually pointed out something extremely helpful. But even though you were accused of being the killer you sat back and let everyone else defend you, when it should've been you who did that." He scowled.

"I just didn't know what to say-!" I said, fumbling for an excuse.

"Don't lie," Grovyle accused. "You know full well that my accusation didn't make sense." I winced, which he definitely noticed. "The only reason you didn't refute it is because you're scared, right?" I hesitated, before nodding. "Your life is on the line," he repeated. "Do you not believe that warrants speaking up?"

Metang's gaze darkened. "Grovyle you shouldn't force someone to-!"

"He's right."

With wide eyes, Metang turned to me as I sucked in a deep breath. "I'm sorry," I apologized to everyone. "I just… I'm just not sure if I deserve to have a voice since I don't really belong here." When no one really said anything and instead just exchanged a guilty look, I continued, "I'll try and… and contribute more, if I can."

Another deep breath. "Lucario you said that both the Switcher Orb and Rollcall Orb could only be on someone that the user already knew, right?" I still couldn't keep the shaky tone out of my voice.

Lucario blinked. "Yeah," he said with some hesitation. "Well kinda. A name and a face are all that's really needed."

I steeled myself. "In that case, if the killer were to use the Rollcall Orb like Metang suggested than they would have to know Zoroark existed. But…" I fidgeted uncomfortably. "none of us knew that Zoroark was here until he died. Not even Grovyle."

Grovyle blinked. "T-that's true."

"In that case…" Another breath. "The killer would've had to know that Zoroark already existed before he was killed… and they chose to tell none of us about it."

"Then perhaps the killer was out of his mind," Metang suggested smoothly. "And captured Zoroark while he was attacking Grovyle."

"No…" Greninja said carefully. "A zoroark's illusion ability is strong. The only way to actually break it is to land a hit on a zoroark first. And that only way to do that…"

"Is by surprising him," Grovyle finished, closing his eyes. "I don't remember hearing anything else after I was stunned. It was almost like Zoroark… disappeared after fighting me." He scratched his chin. "It did seem like he just teleported away."

"So then…" Ribombee smiled timidly. "A Rollcall Orb was used in order to teleport Zoroark into the Berserker Gym while he was in the middle of attacking Grovyle?"

"Yes." Metang sighed. "That seems… most likely."

I took a proverbial step back. I had said something. I had actually said something. I was half mortified and half relieved at the idea that I had actually contradicted something that someone said with my own words. Especially since that person was Metang.

I could feel as though this case had taken a huge step forward. All of us were close- _extremely_ close to solving this mystery.

For the first time, since coming to the guild, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Monotuff just yawned.

**Guild Trial Suspended!**

xXx

**Monotuff Theatre**

"Destiny is a strange thing," Monotuff said, standing on a wooden platform and speaking to an empty audience. "It's a path that everyone walks but we can't even see it. There's no map or anything." It tilted its head. "I asked my local barber for directions, but he said to ask my butcher!" Monotuff laughed, before it fell silent, realizing that no one else was.

"But it's strange. Sometimes we think we're going a certain way when suddenly out of nowhere your path seems to change. But in reality, the path was always on that route. There was no sudden change. If we were to take two identical rattata and place them in the same exact maze at the same exact time they both would finish at the same time. It's just science."

"Why am I talking about this?" Monotuff asked. "To prove a point. Whatever happens during this trial was just destiny. There's no changing it and no stopping it. Whatever disappoint we may feel about the outcome just know that it was destiny guiding it."

Monotuff bowed. "Thanks for listening."

* * *

 


	6. My World, Your Illusion (Part 5)

Chapter 5- My World, Your Illusion- Destiny's Change

* * *

**TRIAL RESUMED!**

"So…" Ribombee said nervously. "How did the killer manage to kill Zoroark while he was hidden with the Illusion ability?"

Grovyle was silent for a second. "We don't know," he finally answered sounding resigned. "It seems impossible."

"Jeez, really?" Noivern groaned. "Then what do we do?"

"Are we just doomed?" Pelipper said nervously.

"Um…" I timidly said as all eyes turned to me. I willed myself to speak. "Maybe we should discuss something else then," I suggested. "I think looking at something at another angle can only help."

"Like what?" Pelipper groaned. "We've talked about everything, What else is there?"

 _What else?_ My eyes closed themselves as I began to think. There had to be something that the others had missed. Something… "What about the Victim File?" I suddenly said. "We didn't talk about it too much before."

"What is there to talk about?" Metang pointed out. "We've correctly identified the wound that caused Zoroark's death and the weapon that was used to cause it, did we not?"

"Um… I guess." I shifted uncomfortably before decided to speak anyway. "But we didn't discuss the time that Zoroark died."

"The… time?" Zebstrika repeated.

Blissey opened up the Victim File. "Zoroark died at… 4:33 PM," she said.

Grovyle frowned. "The investigation began at 4:50 PM. Assuming the time follows our own standards then Monotuff's explanation about guild trial system lasted about 10 minutes." He looked at everyone else. "Does anyone know when you found the body?"

Lycanroc scratched his nose. "About… five minutes before you came?" he said uncertainly.

Noivern laughed nervously. "It felt about that much," she admitted. "It could've been more… or less. The entire experience was kinda a rush, dude."

"So essentially," Grovyle said. "Braixen only found the body about one or two minutes after Zoroark had actually died."

I recoiled. "R-really?!" I asked nervously. _Did that I mean I could've saved him if I was quicker? Stopped the murderer from even ending his life?_

"Interesting." Marowak narrowed. "But just a second, Grovyle. I've been wondering this a while ago, but why didn't you come to try and wake us up after you recovered from your paralysis?"

Grovyle was quiet for a moment. "I was stuck like that for about three hours," he finally scowled. "It wasn't until the end that I was able to finally get up."

Porygon narrowed his eyes. "The meeting was at 1:30 PM," he said. "You were probably kept stunned at the same time we were all asleep."

"W-wait a m-minute!" Froslass stammered, shooting Grovyle an accusatory look. "H-e d-didn't say t-that he and Z-Zoroark f-fought for a-all that t-time!"

"That's because we didn't," Grovyle scowled. "It lasted maybe a few minutes if I'm being generous."

"But then…" Gengar frowned. "Since the killer used the Rollcall Orb to teleport Zoroark before he killed you, then did the murderer wait an entire hour to finally end his lift?!" He gaped. "That's way too long!"

"There's no way that Zoroark would've let the killer wait for an hour to kill him," Greninja reasoned. "He would've tried to escape from the room."

"Is that maybe why Zoroark was tied up?" Zebstrika suggested. "To keep him from escaping."

"But Zoroark wouldn't be willing to just let someone tie him up in the manner we found him in," Greninja said.

Blissey blinked. "Ah. So that's why…"

"W-what?" Froslass demanded.

"Zoroark had a head wound," Blissey mused aloud. "I was wondering about it because it wasn't strong enough to kill someone, but it could've been powerful enough to simply knock out a pokémon."

"A move?" Metang asked warily.

"A fighting-type move perhaps," Blissey answered just as cautiously. "But any fighting move that was used against him would've needed to strike him from the top. And no one's hands or feet here that can use fighting-type moves correctly match up with the wound."

"Then what about a weapon?" Grovyle asked quickly.

Blissey took a second to think. "Yes… I think it was most likely caused by a weapon." She shook her head sadly. "The fact that I can't correctly identify the move may because the killer used a weapon."

"Okay, then!" Gengar grinned. "Then we just need a weapon that was used to knock out Zoroark! There was that metal rod!"

"Yes," Metang said carefully. "But we already established that was most likely used to kill Zoroark."

"But," I said. "There's no reason it wasn't used for a dual purpose, right?" I gave Metang a hopeful look, thinking he might argue.

Though he took a full minute to do so, my heart lifted when he nodded. "Yes, that's right. The metal rod might've been used to both knockout Zoroark and then kill him."

"Fascinating," Blissey murmured to herself.

"What about the Rollcall Orb?" Ribombee asked.

"We should also assume that the killer used the orb in order to teleport Zoroark into his grasp," Porygon said. "The killer probably caught Zoroark by surprise, if Zoroark was suddenly teleported like that." He closed his eyes. "An easy target."

"So then this bastard used the metal rod," Lycaroc said. "And whacked it onto Zoroark's head?"

"Zoroark was then knocked out," Marowak said with a wince. "Poor boy. I assume his illusion then faded away?"

Greninja nodded. "That's how the Illusion ability works."

"I guess that's when the murderer hung up Zoroark using the rope and duct tape," Zebstrika said. "Man, that's a sick thing to do with a living body…"

Lucario nodded. "And then," he said unable to hide the anger in his voice. "The killer stabbed Zoroark through the stomach while **he was still unconscious-!** "

" **No that's wrong!"**

All eyes swiveled to me and I froze, my right arm outstretched pointing towards Lucario. Lucario, for his part, just blinked, completely bewildered that he had been interrupted like that. Even Montuff looked slightly shocked. "Ex-excuse me?" he stammered out.

"I mean… uh…" I lowered my right arm. "That's wrong. That's not what happened at all."

"What do you mean, Braixen?" Metang asked. "Lucario's statement is rather sound. The killer, of course, stabbed Zoroark. That is how he died."

"It's just…" I said nervously. Here I went trying to say something that contradicted the general line of thinking. "Zoroark couldn't have gotten stabbed while he was unconscious. You said it yourself. There were some scratch marks along his wrists where the handcuffs had been attached. He was struggling. And." I raised my voice. "If he was struggling then Zoroark had to be conscious before he died!"

"But that's-!" Metang began furiously.

"No, she's right!" Grovyle agreed. "Those marks on his wrists do mean that Zoroark was most likely struggling to get out before he was killed!"

"In that case," Greninja said. "Perhaps the killer woke him up using some water. I believe there were some sinks there in the Berserker Gym?"

Zebstrika shook his head. "No that's not possible," he argued. "If Zoroark had gotten some water on his head or the rest of his body, then his fur there would've also been wet."

"Unfortunately," Blissey smiled. "His fur was only wet up to his waist, just below the bottom of the broken window."

"B-But if t-that's the c-case," Froslass snapped. "T-then the k-killer just w-waited all t-that time t-to f-finally j-just e-end the idiot's l-life!" She scowled. "N-no o-one would be insane e-enough to do t-that!"

"Yet someone did," Grovyle said grimly.

"That's interesting and all," Pelipper suddenly cut in. "But why does that matter?"

I frowned. "I think it matters because…" I said slowly. "Because we know the killer should've still been in the building when I, Noivern and Lycaroc found the body."

Noivern blinked. "Um… what?"

Grovyle facepalmed. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Zoroark's death was close to when the body was discovered- mere minutes apart. Meaning the killer would've had to still be inside the Gym when everyone woke up." His eyes trained onto me. "Braixen do you-?"

I shook my head since I already knew his question. "No," I said sadly. "I didn't see anyone come out."

"Of course she didn't," Zebstrika muttered. "If someone came out before she opened the doors herself the water would've already escaped."

Grovyle hesitated. "That's a… good point," he admitted, before turning his attention to Lycanroc. "Please tell me there were some secret passages in your gym."

Lycanroc scratched his head. "Sorry," he said, sounding genuine. "If there was I never knew about it."

Grovyle seemed to visibly deflate. "Then… then we might've missed something during our investigation…" he muttered.

Pelipper recoiled. "What?!" he squawked. "You're joking, right?" He only grew more nervous when Grovyle didn't answer. "Right?!"

Metang sighed. "Perhaps this was doomed from the start," he professed. "The idea that we could actually solve a murder without proper tools was laughable really. I mean we still don't know how the killer _could've seen through Zoroark's illusion_ …"

His words had a profound effect on everyone else. If the Ultimate Genius was saying this, then all hope was really lost. A mind like Metang's, someone who could figure out everything, was stumped by this mystery.

What did that say about our chances?

I could feel my knees sinking to the floor, so I held onto my column in order to steady myself. _No_ , I said to myself. _I didn't want to die!_ I was desperately thinking of something- anything! But all that came to my mind were the last few words that Metang had spoken.

_Seen through Zoroark's illusion…_

A memory sprang up in my mind. A time when I was a fennekin, excitedly grilling my mother about psychic moves. I had been excited to evolve into a delphox when I was younger and I would always read some old books in the storage room about that subject. At one point, I had come across a move I had never heard of. A move that only a scant few pokémon seemed to be able to learn. Unfortunately, delphox couldn't, but there was one line of pokémon that I remembered could…

But… the words were stuck in my throat. If I said it, I would be implicating _him_. But if I didn't, I was certain to die.

A deep breath in. And another out.

I _had_ to do this. Even if I was right.

"Metang," I said looking him directly into his eyes. "Do you know the move Miracle Eye?"

Metang's eyes flicked to me, his expression unreadable. "Yes," he said slowly, looking like he was choosing his words carefully. "It's a move that allows psychic type moves to hit dark types. Any reason for asking?"

"That's true," I said just as carefully. "It's just… my mother told me it was also often used for investigations and such."

"Oh? Do tell." I could tell he was feigning interest.

I finally gathered the courage to get to the point. "She said it could… well, it could break illusions."

Everyone seemed to freeze. All eyes were on Metang now. "Your mother was either lying or stupid," he said firmly.

I recoiled. "My mother," I cried indignantly. "is not stupid!"

Metang opened his mouth to respond, but Grovyle beat him to the punch. "That would solve the mystery of how the killer would've been able to see Zoroark."

"Oh please, Grovyle." Metang rolled his eyes. "Please do not tell me you are humoring her. Foresight could've also been used to break illusions. If I recall… does Lucario learn Foresight?" He turned to the Ultimate Fighter. "How about it Lucario?!"

Lucario jumped. "What-?!" he cried. "You're suspecting me?!"

Grovyle ignored them. "Braixen," he said slowly. "Before you found the body, you said something happened?"

I nodded. "Something was thrown into the window and broke it. I think…" I took a second to recall. "It was the window right behind Zoroark."

Grovyle stared. And then, all of a sudden began to laugh.

"Oh…" Porygon muttered, his eyes lighting up. "Ohh…!"

"What is it?" Metang demanded as the same realization dawned on some of the others' faces. "I fail to see what is so funny!"

"Sorry," Grovyle said shaking his head. "It's just we've been looking at this all wrong." He looked at Metang. "We've been assuming that since Zoroark was killed inside the Berserker Gym that was where the killer was too. But that would be impossible because the three who first saw the body would've noticed something. So then the next logical step is to assume-!"

"That the murderer was outside with the rest of us!" Gengar finished excitedly.

Pelipper blinked. "But I thought the murder happened inside the gym?" he pointed out. "How would the killer kill someone, not in the same building?"

"Simple," Greninja raised a finger. "They threw the weapon."

Zebstrika blinked. "Threw?"

"Braixen says she heard something crashing into the window and breaking it," Porygon explained. "Our own investigation corroborates this. However, Zoroark's body is right in front of that window. Anything that went through that window would either bounce right back out for Braixen to see or land right behind Zoroark."

Blissey tilted her entire body. "I don't remember seeing anything behind the bloody body," he said cheerfully.

"So what the other option?" Porygon continued. "For it to go _through_ Zoroark."

Ribombee gasped. "His stomach wound!"

"Ah." Marowak raised a hand. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for something to be thrown that hard you would need the strength of a Machamp. It would need to be flying as fast as a bullet, but…" Her eyes twinkled. "I have a feeling you can explain that conundrum, can't you?"

Grovyle nodded. "It's why I currently pining Metang as my suspect."

Metang eyed Grovyle warily. "May I ask why?"

"For one simple reason." Grovyle smirked. "You're psychic."

Metang was silent.

"I mean yeah, dude…" Noivern said, thoughtfully. "You think he would've read our minds to try and find out who the killer is already."

"Hey!" Monotuff shouted. "No cheating!"

"Not because of that," Greninja said. "It's what else a psychic can do."

"Lift rocks with their minds?" Noivern guessed.

"Not exactly," Gengar explained. "I mean they _can_ lift anything and make it go flying."

"At any speed they want," Grovyle grinned. "And there we have our bullet. Metang could've lifted the metal rod into the air using psychic and shot it through the window and Zoroark's body while pretending to still be asleep. This is how-!"

" _Ahem."_

Grovyle stopped mid-sentence, as everyone fell silent, suddenly feeling ashamed. Metang was giving everyone an exasperated look. "So is this how you deal with defeat?" he asked. "By coming up with outlandish theories just for a minuscule amount of hope that it may be correct?"

Everyone, including me, sunk lower our shame only growing. Only Grovyle seemed undeterred. "I think it's a good theory," he scowled.

"A theory that is easily swatted down," Metang said easily, before looking at me. "Braixen did you happen to catch the object that broke the window."

"Uh…" I blinked. "N-no it was too small."

"The metal rod was hardly small, Grovyle," Metang pointed out dryly. "Plus how do you explain the fact that it wasn't covered in blood after it was ripped through a pokémon's body?"

Grovyle flinched. "I-!"

"A theory," Metang said. "Nothing more, nothing less." He spread his arms out. "We were never able to find another weapon outside or inside the gym correct?"

Zebstrika flinched. "R-right," he agreed.

"Then let's follow that to its most logical conclusion," Metang continued. "The only weapon there was the metal rod as it had been the only thing with Zoroark's blood. It's simple. We couldn't find anything that might pass off as a weapon. **Thus there is no other weapon-!** "

" **Here is my answer!"**

Again, everyone was staring at me. Again, I had done something that sounded really cool on paper but in practice was kind of stupid. But if I wanted to live, I had to say it. "Um…" My arm dropped. "I found another weapon."

"Another weapon?" Lucario asked.

I shifted on my feet taking a second to decide how to explain. "When I was leaving the gym," I said. "I… I tripped on a rock."

Porygon looked unimpressed. "A rock."

I wasn't feeling any more confident after _that_ response, but I just barreled on. "I didn't see anything, so Metang was right. It couldn't have been the metal rod. But it could've been that rock, instead."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Grovyle. "Small enough so that you couldn't see it," he muttered to himself. "A bullet."

Marowak narrowed her eyes. "Something like a rock could probably work better than a metal rod," she mused. "It would be a lot smaller and faster."

"Not only that," Greninja said. "But breaking the window would've drawn people towards the gym to discover the body." She shook her head. "An easy way to direct people towards your handiwork and kill the victim at the same time."

"But was there any blood on the weapon?" Metang asked. "How could you possibly label a simple rock as the weapon when there's no evidence of it even _touching_ Metang's body."

"The water." Lycanroc, surprisingly, spoke up. "The water washed away any evidence." He huffed. "The rock fell into the water after killing Zoroark and all the blood just washed off of." He scratched his nose. "It's pretty easy."

"W-wow." Noivern looked impressed. "Didn't think that a brain existed underneath that mohawk."

Lycanroc growled. "What'd you say?!"

"N-Nothing!"

Grovyle turned his attention onto Metang. "So what do you have to say about this-?!"

"Fine," Metang interrupted. " _I admit it._ "

I blinked. "Admit… what?" I asked nervously.

Metang gave me a dry look. "What were we just talking about?" he asked rhetorically. "You were trying to accuse me of killing Zoroark. And you were right. I am the culprit in this case."

"I…" My mouth went dry. "I didn't…"

Ribombee looked nervous. "Is that it?"

"Is what?" Metang asked.

"You're just admitting it," Porygon said. "Just like that?"

"I know when I've lost," Metang explained. "There isn't any point in continuing this farce any longer when a conclusion has already be drawn."

"So we were right?" Grovyle asked his mouth a thin set line. "About everything?"

"Everything," Metang confirmed. "When we woke up on that first day, I had already used Miracle Eye in order to see through any deceptions. That's when I saw Zoroark making himself invisible." He shrugged. "In Zoroark's defense, it didn't seem like he was doing it for any malicious reasons. He had been making faces and laughing at everyone, treating it like a prank. I suspect that after our circumstances were made known he continued to hide in order to have an advantage in the killing game." Metang nodded. "He probably wasn't aware of the guild trial system and possibly thought that killing might be enough to escape."

"Guess that didn't work out!" Blissey cheerfully said. I gave her a weird look.

"Indeed." Metang chuckled. "I already knew that Zoroark had stolen a Slumber Orb from the shop so I had gotten a chesto berry earlier that day just in case along with a Rollcall Orb." He glanced at Grovyle. "I didn't know that Zoroark was targeting you, but I'm glad that I managed to get him before he could kill you." He nodded at me. "Everything went the same as you said. I knocked out Zoroark and hung him up, before going back outside and using the rock to both kill him and alert Braixen to the body." Metang looked at Grovyle. "Is that alright for you?"

Grovyle was stunned. "Um… yes?" he admitted.

A silence fell upon all of us. Metang's sudden confession and explanation had left me completely baffled at what to think. Metang had described killing a pokémon in the same tone that someone would use to describe a nice walk in a park. His entire disposition unnerved me. I thought that the murderer would be someone more crazy and evil, but Metang… he was the same as he had always been. He was still Metang.

"So…" Pelipper said awkwardly. "What now? We figured it out right…?"

"You vote for the blackened!" Monotuff announced. "Just open up the screens on your E-Badges and-!"

"Ah." Metang suddenly held up a hand, stopping Monotuff. "Let me explain." He turned back to everyone else. "We will be voting for the blackened. Majority wins. Vote for me and I get executed. Vote for someone else and I will be spared." He smiled. "The first thing for the investigation was to ask how the trial would work."

Monotuff spun around. "That's the Ultimate Genius for you!" it crowed. "Always smart enough to ask the questions that no one else would!"

Porygon eyed Metang. "Why did you want to explain the rules to us?" he asked suspiciously.

"Apologies," Metang said smoothly. "But before everyone voted I need to explain something about the motive."

I blinked. "The motive."

"Yes…" Metang took a second before continuing. "I suppose to start would everyone please share the numbers that Monotuff gave them for the motive. You don't have to share your picture. I just need the number."

Everyone exchanged some looks of confusion but acquiesced to Metang's demands. I didn't see any point in not, so I told him I had been given the number 7. However, I winced, before quickly correcting my number down one to 6, almost forgetting that someone in my family had already died. It just seemed so unreal.

Grovyle, of course, didn't have anyone, so he opted to just stare at Metang suspiciously, while the rest of us handed out the number we had been assigned. A couple surprised me. Gengar only having two friends, Marowak have an entire team of archeologists behind her and Blissey only really caring about two pokémon. Though given her attitude, she didn't seem entirely torn up about the fact.

Porygon closed his eyes. "Ninety-six…" he said slowly. "Adding all of our numbers together that's the result."

"Um…" Lucario frowned. "That isn't anywhere near one million."

"Exactly," Metang said. "But we haven't added in my number to it." He cleared his throat. "My number was **one million**."

"One million?" Grovyle repeated. "But that's impossible. The number started at one million. There's no way that you were close to one million pokémon."

Metang hummed. "Grovyle, you lost your memory correct?"

"What's your point?"

"Well let's say that you had a family in your forgotten past," Metang said. "A family that cared and loved you. Just because you had forgotten them doesn't mean that they had forgotten you correct? So then would you say that they wouldn't be considered for this motive under Monotuff's rules?"

Grovyle blinked. "I…"

"That's not the issue," Lycanroc snapped. "You're just lying. There's no way that's your number!"

"What do you think, Monotuff?" Metang asked, turning over to the guildmaster.

"He's right!" Monotuff exclaimed. "That's definitely the number he was given for the motive. And just in case the rest of you think some others were lying, everyone else told the truth! A first in a guild trial!"

"This was our first guild trial," muttered Zebstrika.

Grovyle had been quiet. "Perception…" he muttered. "You're telling me this motive was based on perception?!"

Metang nodded, while I was still confused. "Perception?" I asked. "How would the motive be based on perception?" Whatever that meant, but I held that thought to myself.

"Essentially," Metang began to explain. "Monotuff has based the hostages on people who we care about, not the other way around. It's why Grovyle and, presumably Zoroark, have zero pokémon that they are bonded to. They may see themselves as having no connections, but there could be someone in their past that really cared for them." He raised an arm. "And then the vice versa. Someone may see themselves connected to everyone in this world."

"S-so w-what?" Froslass snapped. "Y-you're s-saying that's y-you?!"

"I am the Ultimate Genius," Metang explained with a flourish of his arms. "My mind was created in order to service the pokémon of this world and thus I am connected to the world itself. This world…" He smiled. " _depends_ on my genius."

"The world?" Lucario repeated.

"That's a lot of pokémon," Noivern muttered.

"And what does this have to do with anything?" Zebstrika asked. "Monokuma is still going to going to execute you." He winced. "We did everything right."

"But only if you vote correctly," Metang pointed out.

"Why wouldn't we?" Greninja asked warily.

"As Monotuff said," Metang explained. "If the culprit, in this case, me, is executed then everyone they were connected through with this motive will also die. If I'm executed…" He spread his arms. "Then 999,997 pokémon will die with me."

Silence.

"You…" Grovyle looked so angry that he could even form words. "You're holding the entire world hostage."

"No," Metang denied calmly. "Monotuff is holding the world hostage. I'm merely the one who has to survive in order to save them."

"You planned this then," Grovyle accused. "A way to get out of being executed."

"Also wrong," Metang said. "Recall that Monokuma only revealed the new rules after the murder. I had no idea that this would occur. In reality, I had only killed in fear that I would be attacked and the world would go with me." He gave Grovyle a scrutinizing look. "Tell me is that not what I should've done. Was Zoroark's life not worth the lives of about 1 million pokémon?"

"I-I…" Grovyle couldn't provide an answer. "Then why not tell us?" he asked weakly.

"Because having you make this choice seemed too cruel to me," Metang said with some sadness in his voice. "Better to have you all die thinking I was the villain, rather than ask you to sacrifice your lives." He sighed. "But now I have no choice. I _have_ to ask you to help me save the world."

"But my family," Zebstrika gaped. "I can't just-!"

"Oh don't worry about that!" Monotuff suddenly cut in. "As long as someone has a connection then they'll survive. If Metang is executed then your families will still survive and if you're executed then you're will still survive. Since their bonded twice, they have two chances to live." Monotuff tilted its head. "Huh. I guess this motive wasn't that motivating in retrospect."

"Are you kidding?!" Lycanroc nearly yelled. "That's still 999,901 pokémon that will still die if Metang gets executed."

"This is… This is…Urk!" Noivern seemed ready to pass out. "This isn't cool, yo."

"Yes." Metang sounded sad. "I understand this is hard of me to ask of all of you. But this is the basis of the Ultimate Team. We were formed for this purpose. To save the world and protect pokémon. There's no better scenario to test our resolve and prove that Wigglytuff was right."

"You're right!" Blissey remarked cheerfully.

"Wha-what?!" Ribombee cried. "You can't be serious, Blissey!"

"But I am," Blissey said sounding a little more serious but at the same time her expression growing a little crazier. "We joined this team in order to use our blood to save the world! What better time than now?!"

"I-I…" For a second I thought Ribombee was going to disagree, but she suddenly looked determined. "You're right! I'll-I'll sacrifice myself to save this world!"

"Y-you c-can't be s-serious!" Froslass snapped. "T-This is c-crazy. S-screw every o-other p-pokémon! My l-life m-matters too!"

"If you agree with me and wish to save the world," Metang said, disregarding Froslass's desperate shout. "Please vote for Zoroark."

"Alright!" Blissey nodded.

"You're insane," Zebstrika said, tears coming from his eyes. "I can't do that."

"We have to," Lucario said, looking down. "To save the world-! That's something any rescue team would do regardless of the cost!"

"Hmph-!" Greninja shook her head. "To think that this would be the ending."

"Oi!" Lycanroc spat. "You can't really be thinking about killing yourself!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" Greninja asked, calmly. "I am an assassin. I risk my life to kill other pokémon. To instead lose my own life in order to save thousands of others…" She chuckled. "It's a nice change that I'm not opposed to."

"I'm not sacrificing my own life for this!" Pelipper wailed. "I still haven't done anything I wanted yet!" His eyes narrowed onto Monotuff. "Please, there's got to be another way!"

"Hey I'm just the guy who made up the rules," Monotuff pointed out. "If there was another way I probably would've told you."

Gengar closed his eyes. "I guess that's it."

"What!" Pelipper recoiled. "You're fine with this."

"I mean no of course not!" Gengar snapped back. "But I already promised myself… Sorry I just can't let the entire world die just for me. That wouldn't be fair." He sighed. "I'm not the same pokémon I was in my past."

Porygon's eyes were glaring at Metang. "Fine," he finally relented. "I don't necessarily agree with the way you decided to handle this information, but I understand the stakes. I'll vote for Zoroark if you promise to save all those pokémon and figure out who exactly trapped us."

Metang nodded. "I promise."

"And how do we know you'll keep that promise, Metang?" Marowak asked suspiciously. "We couldn't trust you during the trial apparently."

"Y-Yeah!" Noivern shouted. "You're still lying aren't you?"

"I can assure you I'm not," Metang tried to dissuade.

"Hmm…" Marowak studied. "Even then I'm choosing to vote for you." She made a face. "Something about the way you handled this situation rubs me the wrong way."

"Y-Yeah, man!" Noivern shouted, pointing a claw at Metang. "Suck on that!"

Metang simply nodded, before turning to Grovyle. "How about you?"

Grovyle didn't meet Metang's gaze. "No," he said shakily. "Monotuff could be lying. We never saw any hostages, only a number. That means he could just be lying to get us to rise to the bait and kill people." He let out a low chuckle. "And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"Perhaps," Metang said. "And if you're wrong? How will you feel then?"

Grovyle didn't answer.

Metang sighed. "That's seven for and seven against," he said, before turning to me. "Braixen… you're the only one who hasn't said anything. Tell me…" He looked slightly weary to me. "What will you choose?"

The world seemed to grind to a halt after he asked me. _I didn't know,_ I wanted to answer, but my brain and my mouth wouldn't connect to say anything. All I could do was let my mind spin around in confusion. The right thing would be to sacrifice myself for the world. As Metang said it was the right thing to do. The thought of all those pokémon dying because of me was sickening. There was no way I could let that happen.

I opened my mouth, ready to give my answer, all the fear in my body gone. It was easy in retrospect. Like Metang said before the trial, I would have to make the correct choice if I was to save everyone…

And then something in me just snapped. _He had planned this_ , I realized as my mind gave way to anger and then the fear came rushing back. He had wanted me to choose his option from the very beginning. He had known this was a possibility and decided to plan for it.

I blinked and gone was the mournful and resolved face of Metang who only thought of saving the world. Now I could see the barest hints of a smirk present on his face and confidence that he would survive.

"…No," I finally said in a shaky voice.

A waver in that confidence. "Are you sure, Braixen? The lives of all those pokémon are in your hands-!"

"I said no!"

Metang recoiled as though he had been slapped. "Braixen," he said gently. "I know you're scared but-!"

"I know that." I could feel tears sliding down my face, but I choose to ignore them. "I know my answer."

He was getting angry. "Braixen!" he said, slammed his arm down on his column. "Are you saying that you're willing to let all those pokémon die, just you can stay alive! That's selfish!"

"I know it is!" I shouted back. "I know I'm acting selfishly! I know that I'm a coward! But even so, I'm here! I'm talking! I have a voice! I don't want to die! I-!" My voice cracked. "I want to _**live**_!"

Another moment of silence, as I let the tears fall from my eyes.

"Upupupupu…" Monotuff giggled.

Metang swiveled his gaze towards the guildmaster. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Looks like you have a split room, here," Monotuff noted, hiding its mouth.

Metang blinked. "Yes, but I'm sure if I try to convince some of the others then-!"

"Nah," Monotuff interrupted. "We're just going to have one final debate and I'll start the voting? The scrum debate!"

"Scrum debate?" Noivern repeated. "What's that?"

"You all form two sides on an issue," Monotuff explained. "And argue for your specific issue. In this case whether or not to vote for Metang."

"But why-?" Metang started to say.

"Because it's fun!" Monotuff exclaimed, as it pulled out an ornate golden key and large control panel appeared in front of it. "Let's begin the debate!" It inserted the key and turned it, as the control panel in front of it began to glow.

At the same time, the column that we were standing at also began to glow. "What the-!" Lucario yelled, gripping the stone, as the column began to float up and into the sky. They spiraled up into the air until they were about a few feet below the ceiling. We split up into two groups into two lines that faced each other. One side who wanted to vote for Metang another that didn't. The column containing Zoroark's picture moved over to Metang's side because, I suspected, to have a more even number.

I glanced down nervously. We were extremely high off the ground. One wrong step and I would find myself falling to my death.

"Alright!" I turned to my right to see Monotuff's own throne seat floating in the air a little high above ours. "Present your points."

I gulped. The Scrum Debate had begun.

**Scrum Debate**

**Vote for Metang vs. Don't Vote For Metang**

Statement I

"Monotuff is holding the entire world hostage," Metang began. "The moment you vote for me you'll be dooming about a million people to their deaths."

_Grovyle!_

"We don't know that he's holding that many people hostage," Grovyle argued back. "He's shown us no proof of these hostages."

Statement II

"It's the duty of the Ultimate Team to save the world!" Lucario cried.

_Lycanroc!_

"Screw that!" Lycanroc growled. "I didn't ask to be part of this fucked up team!"

Statement III

"To sacrifice yourself to save the world…" Greninja said. "Is that not an admirable action to take in this scenario?"

_Pelipper!_

"I've still got so much to live for!" Pelipper yelled. "I'm not dying here!"

Statement IV

"We'll be heroes!" Ribombee said. "I've always wanted to save the world!"

_Froslass!_

"D-Don't be st-stupid!" Froslass stammered out. "Y-You keep t-that id-idealism to y-yourself! Wh-What you're t-talking about is s-suicide!"

Statement V

"Metang took a huge risk in doing this," Porygon said. "He's trying to save the world, don't you see? Shouldn't we honor his wishes?"

_Marowak!_

"I see it a little differently, hun," Marowak admitted. "He's just using those pokémon as hostages. He's no better than Monotuff."

Statement VI

"Oh come on!" Blissey laughed. "Wouldn't this be a fun conclusion?!"

_Noivern!_

"Mosh pits are fun! Rocking out it fun!" Noivern looked appalled. "Killing myself is not fun!"

Statement VII

"I promised myself I wouldn't let the world get destroyed! Not after what I did…" Gengar said. "Even if it's my own life… then… then… even I-!"

_Zebstrika!_

"That's a promise you made for yourself!" Zebstrika snapped. "Don't… Don't drag other people into things that you wish to atone for!"

Statement VIII

Metang looked furious. "Sacrificing your lives is the only right option!"

_I can do this!_

"I want to live!" I shouted back.

**Full Counter!**

" **This is our answer!** " Grovyle, Froslass, Noivern, Marowak, Zebstrika, Pelipper, Lycanroc and I shouted together.

The column floated back down to their original positions, settling back into their indents smoothly. Everyone seemed visibly exhausted by the debate, even Metang, who still looked absolutely furious with how it went. Some of the others who were now on his side looked a little warier of him.

However, I wasn't finished yet. There was still something I had to do. "Everything that happened during your murder," I said primarily to Metang. "I'll reveal it all!" The pieces were already starting to assemble themselves in my head. Metang's deception and Zoroark's death. It had been a complete mystery to her in the beginning, but now everything was clear.

**Closing Argument**

Act 1

"It all began the moment that we woke up in Wigglytuff's Guild," I recounted. "At the time we had assumed that there were only fifteen of us that were a part of the Ultimate Team. However, we were wrong as there had been a sixteenth member, Zoroark, who had hidden himself using his Illusion ability. However, only the culprit knew of him as he had used the move Miracle Eye to see through the illusion. He had just actively chosen not to tell anyone."

Act 2

"Next was Monotuff and the Destiny Bond motive," I continued. "The number that the motive revealed corresponded to our loved ones as hostages and every day that number would go down by one, meaning a pokémon would be killed. However, this motive also contained a secret that only culprit knew: that it was based on how the individual viewed the pokémon around them. It is why Zoroark and Grovyle could have 0 while the culprit could have 1 million." A deep breath. "That is how the culprit managed to take 1 million pokémon hostage without anyone knowing about it."

Act 3

"With the motive established, Zoroark began plotting his own murder while still using his Illusion ability to keep hidden. He decided to target Grovyle since killing him would lead to the least amount of pokémon dying in collateral," I summarized. "He probably overheard Lucario talking about his meeting and decided to make his move there. First, he grabbed three items from Kecleon's Shop: a Slumber Orb, a Switcher Orb and finally a stun seed. Next, he disguised himself as Grovyle in order to make sure that Grovyle would never know about the meeting and possibly stay away from the surface level. He had gotten lucky that Lycanroc had already chosen not to attend and decided to disguise himself as Lycanroc in order to frame him."

Act 3.5

"At the same time, the culprit was aware of Zoroark's plan and decided to use it to their own advantage," I said. "To counter the Slumber Orb they grabbed a chesto berry from Ribombee's garden and a Rollcall Orb from Kecleon's Shop."

Act 4

"Everyone was gathered at the meeting at 1:30 PM," I explained. "And that's when Zoroark disguised as Lycanroc started his plan. He first used the Slumber Orb to force all of us to fall asleep. Then, just before Greninja could stop him, he used a Switcher Orb to switch places with the real Lycanroc who was still in his room within the guild. So the one Greninja knocked out wasn't Zoroark at all but the real Lycanroc!"

Act 5

"Meanwhile Grovyle was still inside Wigglytuff's Guild when he was attacked by Zoroark. However this time Zoroark was disguised as me and had used flame attacks to drive Grovyle into a corner, before hitting him with a stun seed. Grovyle went down, expecting to be killed, only for the final blow to never come. Instead, Zoroark had vanished and Grovyle was stunned for the next few hours."

Act 6

"The culprit used his chesto berry to wake up from his sleep and finally enact their own plan," I continued. "Using a Rollcall Orb they brought Zoroark back inside the Berserker Gym and knocked him out using a metal rod. Using the handcuffs found in the Berserker Gym they attached Zoroark to the weight lifting equipment so that he could hang there, right in front of a window. They then placed some duct tape over Zoroark's mouth so that he couldn't yell for help in case he woke up. Finally, they turned on the sinks so that the gym would overflow with water and leaned the metal rod they had used against the wall so that we would think that was the murder weapon."

Act 7

"The culprit finally closed the doors and went back outside, feigning sleep. A couple of hours later, I woke up. Around the same time, Zoroark had also woken up and had begun to struggle in an attempt to get out of his bindings, unable to yell for help. Unfortunately…" I closed my eyes. "That was when the culprit struck. Using a small rock they had found they lifted it into the air with their psychic powers, before shooting it straight through the window Zoroark was in front of, using it like a bullet. This bullet tore through the window and Zoroark's stomach and alerted me to the gym. I went to open the doors but by then it was already too late. Zoroark had already died and the water had washed away any evidence of the rock being the weapon. The culprit's plan had gone according to plan."

Ending

"This was your ultimate plan for supposedly saving the world," I said, turning my gaze onto the culprit in question. "Wasn't it, Metang, the Ultimate Genius?"

**Completed!**

My throat felt raw. I had just talked on and on much longer than I ever thought I would. All of the others had gone silent just listening to me. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. Though that was quickly squashed by anger once again.

Metang was seething. "Why you little-?" he began to say.

"Let's begin the vote!" Monotuff jumped up excitedly in its chair, looking more animated that it had ever done during the trial. It sounded… a little excited even. "The excitement between hope and despair!"

My E-Badge suddenly turned on and I nearly jumped back from the display. It displayed the names and faces of everyone here including Zoroark, but he was marked with a large "X." "Please vote for who you believe to be the killer!" Monotuff instructed.

I hesitated just for a moment, before steeling myself. I knew I wasn't doing the right thing, but… I imputed my vote in any way.

It only took Monotuff a minute to start talking again. "Puhuhuhuhu!" it giggled. "The voting is over! Now let's see those results! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice or the wrong one?" It shrugged. "Not that those are mutually exclusive in this case…"

A screen appeared above Monotuff and I waited, holding my breath, as the results appeared on it:

_**Results:** _

_Blissey: 0_

_Braixen: 0_

_Froslass: 0_

_Gengar: 0_

_Greninja: 0_

_Grovyle: 0_

_Lucario: 0_

_Lycanroc: 0_

_Marowak: 0_

_Metang: 12_

_Noivern: 0_

_Pelipper: 0_

_Porygon 2: 0_

_Ribombee:0_

_Zebstrika: 0_

_Zoroark(X): 3_

I could feel myself collapse in relief as fanfare rang from around us.

**ALL RISE!**

xXx

"You are correct!" Monotuff exclaimed. "The blackened was Metang, the Ultimate Genius, who was the one who murdered Zoroark, the Ultimate Illusionist!"

Metang floated off of his column still staring at the results, looking stunned. Greninja raised a hand. "Apologies," she said. "But I ended up changing my mind at the last minute. I thought that perhaps Braixen was right."

Ribombee let out a sigh of relief, as Blissey looked annoyed behind her.

"Sorry, man…" Gengar muttered.

Metang let out a hollow laugh. "Right, huh…?" In on quick motion, faster than my eyes could follow, his arm swung towards me, his claws clamping down on my throat and slamming me into the wall.

"Metang!" Grovyle shouted in alarm, as some of the others made noises of surprise.

"Now then… let's get started," Monotuff said as if I hadn't gotten attacked.

I tried to pry the claws off of my throat to no avail. Metang just had too powerful a grip. "Is this what you wanted?" he asked. "Is this the conclusion you desired?"

"N-No…" I choked out.

"I've got a special punishment in store for Metang, the Ultimate Genius," Monotuff continued, as it pulled out a small rubber mallet.

"No?" Metang repeated it like it was a joke. "Don't joke around with me! You know exactly what you did! You've just sentenced thousands of pokémon to their deaths!"

"No," I managed to spit out. "That-That was _you_."

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monotuff exclaimed, as a large red button appeared in front of it and it gave its mallet a little twirl.

Metang faltered, letting me drop to the floor. I sat down coughing just trying to massage my neck, before staggering back to my feet. "No," he whispered, backing away, his eyes wide in terror. "I just… I just… wanted to save them." He gave me a desperate look. "Was that… wrong?"

I didn't have an answer for him.

"IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monotuff cackled, as it slammed its mallet down onto the button.

xXx

**GAME OVER**

**Metang has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!**

Metang found himself staring at the floor, as each of his guildmates stared at him in both horror and anger for putting them through the trial. He still couldn't believe that he had actually lost. Now Monotuff…

A large collar came down from the sky and latched itself around his body and dragged him down a nearby corridor, snapping him out of his thoughts. He struggled to get himself out, reaching a hand out to see if someone would grab it, but the collar was dragging him away too quickly. It would throw him against the walls, scraping his metal and creating sparks. They hurt, but they weren't too bad, given Metang didn't know what was coming next.

Finally, the wire pulling him slowed to halt and placed him on the ground. Metang could easily tell he was still moving however as the lights around him turned on. He was sitting on a large conveyor belt, moving backward, in what looked like a small factory. He could also hear something pounding behind him, but couldn't tell what it was since the collar was restricting his ability to move or even turn around.

**After-School Detention**

The sound behind him was growing louder and closer. He figured he would have no idea what it was until it was right on top of him.

Monotuff rode forward on a small platform with a counter and a large blackboard on it. The same counter that it had shown off during the motive. Metang's eyes swiveled towards it and, with a sudden chill, realized that the counter was rapidly going down.

_999,673_

_999,654_

_999,321_

He began to struggle. Monotuff was right in front of him. He was just ignored, however, as Monotuff brought out a small stick and began pointing to some nonsensical information present on the board as if giving a lecture.

_563,236_

_500,232_

_436,768_

It was no use. Metang gazed desperately at the counter as it continued to rapidly fall, before realizing that the sound was right on top of him. He looked up to see a large hydraulic press above him, ready to smash him into pieces.

Metang acted quickly, activating his psychic powers to hold the press in place. It was heavy, so it was a struggle, but he could only stay there and struggle with the weight as the counter continued to fall.

_231,777_

_194,639_

_152,975_

With every number lost, Metang could feel his strength weakening. The press was starting to feel heavier and heavier until finally…

_106_

_101_

_98_

_97_

…

…

_96_

With a grown, Metang lost all of his power and deactivated his psychic. He wasn't even given a chance to blink, as the weight fell smashing his entire body flat. It sent out small pieces of metal flying into its surroundings and bright red blood leaked out from underneath the weight.

Crunching was heard coming from underneath it and connected to the hydraulic press was a large vending machine. Monotuff, who had bailed at the last second, walked over to the vending machine and slid in a quarter, rubbing its stomach. The vending machine rattled for a moment, before depositing a can of soda into Monotuff's hands called, "Metang Brand Soda." The implication was obvious as Monotuff popped the top off and gulped down his drink, before breathing out a sigh of happiness.

That was one good drink.

**Executed: Metang**

xXx

I stared at Metang's crushed body blankly. There were small bits of metal all around the fallen weight and blood was slowly oozing out from it. His blood. Even recognizing these facts, couldn't get my brain to accept that it was real. Metang, a hero that I had looked up to for most of my life, had died right in front of me.

"Eerugh!" Ribombee let out a strangled cry in front of me as her body dropped to the floor. I could hear Blissey cackling from behind me.

I gazed, desperately, at everyone else's reactions as if that would tell me what I should do.

Pelipper and Zebstrika looked like they were about to faint, while Froslass looked like she _had_ fainted, her body still and her eyes closed. Grovyle's face was unnaturally hard and expressionless and Lycanroc had averted his eyes from the body, muttering profanities under his breath.

Noivern's mouth was flapping uselessly, just making some random choking sounds. Lucario had fallen to his knees, stunned by the brutal execution. Gengar was clutching his head, muttering, "Dammit. Why did he… dammit…"

Marowak staggered over to me, her eyes wild. "It's alright," she rasped, helping me up to my feet. "He…he…" She grimaced and looked down, unable to even finish the sentence.

 _He deserved it._ I could tell what she was trying to say. In a strange way, I agreed with her. But at the same time… seeing someone that I had talked to, got to know, and even _admired_ … to see him die in front of me just like that…

It was cruel.

It was just too cruel.

"What an… _interesting_ way to execute someone," Greninja said dispassionately. "What's the reason behind it Monotuff?"

"I just think it's fun!" Monotuff said, dancing around in a circle, bouncing an apple on its head. He tossed the soda somewhere, but I had no interest in looking for it. "Fun! Fun! Wonderous fun!"

"Fascinating," she replied, her eyes lighting up.

Porygon scowled and his eyes flicked over to the counter of numbers that had appeared during Metang's execution that currently displayed, "96." "So," he said, addressing Monotuff curtly. "Are you planning on releasing the people you trapped now that the trial is over?"

Monotuff froze and even the apple it had been playing with froze in midair… somehow. It quickly turned its back on Porygon, teleporting the apple away. "Yes," he answered, tersely.

"Will we see them?"

"No."

"N-No?" I stammered. "Why not?"

"Cause I don't want to," Monotuff replied, hiding its mouth and giggling.

Lucario gritted his teeth. "But you said you would release them and let us see them!"

"Yeah, I said I would release them," Monotuff confirmed. "But I didn't say anything about letting you see them."

Porygon's eyes were narrowed. "Then how will you prove that you even held them in captivity in the first place?" he asked.

Monotuff giggled. "I guess you'll never know," it teased.

"Then you could just by lying," Grovyle accused. "There were never any hostages in the first place."

"That's your prerogative." Monotuff shrugged. "I got what I wanted." It chuckled. "One of you bastards is dead after all. Mission accomplished." He gestured towards the doors they had entered the trial room in from, which opened up. "You can use the elevator to get back up to the surface." Another chuckle. "Have fun."

"Why you!" Lycanroc rushed at Monotuff, swinging an arm right into Monotuff's face. Monotuff just teleported away, leaving Lycanroc to swing at empty air. He stumbled for a second, before regaining his balance and scowling at where Monotuff once was. "DAMMIT!" he roared.

Greninja and Porygon exchanged a look, as Gengar gently shook Froslass awake. "Everyone," Porygon said carefully. "We have something to discuss." His eyes swiveled around as if expecting Monotuff to suddenly pop out of the walls. "We're going to talk on the beach."

Gengar stared at Porygon. "Dude," he said in a hushed voice. "Why aren't you whispering-?"

Greninja coolly glared. "Because there's no point," she said shortly. "Just follow us. We'll explain there." She and Porygon walked away heading back towards the elevator.

Marowak left my side in order to leave and I steadily got back onto my feet to follow. However, Grovyle suddenly moved to block my way. "Grovyle?" I asked, unable to hide the exhaustion and confusion in my voice.

Grovyle seemed to hesitate. "I'm sorry," he said.

I could only stare. "What?"

His expression seemed a little pained. "For how I acted during the trial," he explained. "In a way, you did save us all from death."

I recoiled. "What?! No, I didn't… You did a lot too!"

He frowned. "Yes," he admitted. "But without your vote at the end there and…" He winced. "the way you stood up to Metang. Without you, I doubt there would've been such a difference in the votes and I'm sure it would've been a lot closer."

I opened my mouth before quickly shutting it, thinking over what I should say. "No, you were right before," I sighed. "The only reason I choose to vote like was that I'm just…" I involuntarily shivered. "I was scared of dying. Like…" I gestured to Metang's crushed body, just behind me. "L-like that."

Grovyle glanced at the body, before looking back at me. "I do still think you need to grow a backbone but…" He gave me a tiny smile. "I guess in this case your cowardice somehow saved us."

I giggled nervously. "That's me," I said. "Just a pathetic coward who only cares about their own life."

Grovyle examined my face. "That true," he admitted, turned around so his back faced me with his hands clasped behind him. "But in this type of situation with pokémon who were gathered together to contribute to the greater good of this world…" I watched him walk away from me in bewildered silence.

"That sort of attitude may just save lives."

xXx

The sea breeze was nice at night, I realized. All fourteen of us were gathered together on the beach, after leaving the elevator, as Monotuff called it, which had deposited us back on top of Sharpedo's Bluff. Both Greninja and Porygon were at the front of the group, talking together in hushed voices. When we entered the trial room, it was the middle of the day or noon. When we left, it was already past sundown and reaching midnight. I could feel it in my bones; I was exhausted.

Pelipper cleared his throat. "So what's this all about?" he squawked. I silently thanked him, even though I still hadn't forgiven him for being a perv during the trial.

Greninja and Porygon exchanged a disturbed look. "It's about where we are," Greninja finally said. "Before the trial Porygon and I ran some tests to make sure."

"Tests?" Zebstrika asked. "On what?"

"On orbs," Porygon answered shortly.

"Orbs?" Lucario's eyes widened. "Wait do you mean-?"

"Yes we tested to see if they would work," Greninja explained. "And they did which is probably why they worked when Zoroark attempted to kill and Metang murdered Zoroark."

I raised my arm. "I don't understand," I admitted. "Why does it matter if the orbs work?"

Marowak looked a little tense. "Well… Wonder Orbs usually can only work in…" She hesitated. "Well… inside of mystery dungeons."

Her words had a rippling effect on everyone. A couple, like Ribombee and Pelipper, let out a strangled gasp and some, like Zebstrika and Noivern, looked only mildly confused. "So?" Noivern asked, raising a wing.

"Well, let's use some logic," Grovyle said, tapping his foot. "If Wonder Orbs can only be used inside of mystery dungeons and both Zoroark and Metang managed to use them then…?"

"We're in a mystery dungeon?" Noivern answered, before recoiling. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Grovyle just sighed.

"So in that case," Gengar said hopefully. "Does that mean that Metang and Zoroark are still alive?"

"W-we s-saw their d-dead b-bodies," Froslass stammered out. "W-what m-makes you t-think they are s-still a-alive?!"

Gengar deflated. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Well, we don't know that for sure," Greninja admitted. "If they managed to escape after being knocked out then that would fit in line with everything we know about mystery dungeons. But they were killed…" She shook her head. "This is uncharted territory."

I blinked. "Why?" I asked nervously. The idea that we were inside a mystery dungeon terrified me. All these strange things… were they normal within mystery dungeons?

"Things like this have never been recorded within a mystery dungeon to my knowledge," Porygon explained, accidentally answering my question. "And this environment…" He nodded to their surroundings. "Usually a mystery dungeon would be something akin to a labyrinth, this dungeon contains a perfect replica of Treasure Town and Wigglytuff's Guild… with some exceptions."

"Exceptions?" Ribombee asked.

"You mean the gyms?" Blissey pointed out. "Ribombee and I came here a couple of years ago and there weren't any buildings like that."

"And the strange moving platform in Sharpedo's Bluff," Marowak said. "I've seen evidence of such a structure within ruins, but to see it here and working…" Her expression looked troubled. "Well it's strange that's all."

"W-what about M-Monotuff?" Froslass asked.

"It complicates matters," Greninja said. "It raised three different possibilities."

"Three?" I blinked.

Grovyle frowned. "I'm assuming that one of them is if this place isn't actually a mystery dungeon. Someone Monotuff managed to figure out some strange technology and make Wonder Orbs work outside of dungeons. It also evicted everyone from Treasure Town and constructed a giant glass and stone wall to make sure we wouldn't escape." He shook his head. "But all that… sounds extremely farfetched."

Porygon nodded. "The others don't sound much better," he continued. "Another option is that someone has somehow gained control of a mystery dungeon and is manipulating it to put us through this game." He shook his head. "I don't know how it would be possible, but at this point, I have to consider it."

"And finally," Greninja said. "And possibly the most disturbing of all. If there isn't another pokémon behind this, a legendary or not, there's only one final possibility." She took a deep breath. "Somehow a mystery dungeon has gained some sort of sentience. An intelligence." She gazed up at the sky. "And for whatever reason, it has trapped us within itself, trying to get us to kill each other." She looked back down to level her gaze to everyone else, letting out a low chuckle. "If this is the case, then we're dealing with a power that can warp time and space. Who knows if we can ever escape."

xXx

I sullenly gazed across the sea, mulling over the new information that we had discovered by myself. Everyone else had already left the beach for their rooms, leaving me all alone to contemplate exactly what it meant for me.

I had never actually been inside a mystery dungeon before. The only one I had ever even glimpsed was a small one near my home that my parents used to gather food whenever we had a shortage. It was considered off limits to me and my siblings.

A mystery dungeon. I looked up at the sky and wondered if that was an illusion too. Something that the mystery dungeon created so I would believe that this was real. Does this mean Zoroark's death and Metang's execution was fake? That there still alive? My mother always told me that if you were knocked out in a mystery dungeon then you would just be booted back to the entrance. Does that mean Metang and Zoroark were just outside waiting for everyone?

And what about everything else? The idea that someone was controlling the mystery dungeon or the mystery dungeon itself was somehow alive… was terrifying. A shiver ran down my spine. Could the dungeon be watching me right now? Maybe thinking about killing me in the same way as Metang-!

I rubbed my eyes. I couldn't think. I was just too exhausted. I had no proof of anything and all I wanted to do now was sleep.

I could tell something, in between my exhausted brain. I was going to survive. I had managed to live through the guild trial and even stand up to Metang. Something I thought I would never be able to do.

 _I am going to survive_ , I repeated inside my brain. _I am going to survive-!_

I turned away from the sea and froze.

Monotuff was standing there, staring at me with an unreadable expression. We just gazed at each other for a few moments, both of us not saying a word. Finally, Monotuff opened his mouth.

"You have surprised me." Monotuff nodded. "Congratulations."

He disappeared. Just gone from my sight in one second without a sound.

I blinked. _What just happened?_

**My World, Your Illusion End**

**Survivors: 14**

* * *

**Alive:**

Braixen: Ultimate Luckster

Grovyle: Ultimate ?

Noivern: Ultimate Rock Star

Marowak: Ultimate Archaeologist

Pelipper: Ultimate Deliveryman

Froslass: Ultimate Dancer

Gengar: Ultimate Infiltrator

Lucario: Ultimate Fighter

Blissey: Ultimate Healer

Lycanroc: Ultimate Berserker

Zebstrika: Ultimate Racer

Porygon 2: Ultimate Hacker

Ribombee- Ultimate Botanist

Greninja: Ultimate Assassin

**Dead:**

Metang: Ultimate Genius

Zoroark: Ultimate Illusionist

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small note, I would be fascinated to see some predictions on who lives and who dies. It would be really interesting to see if my current plans mesh up with what people can predict.
> 
> Clue lists will be posted at the end of every investigation chapter from now on. 
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated. If I made any mistakes when posting it on the site please feel free to tell me. I'm new to this site.
> 
> -Heroi Oscura


	7. Road to the Elite Four (Part 1)

Chapter 6: Road to the Elite Four- B3F

* * *

 _Ugh_.

I made a face as I took another bite from the chesto berry in my grasp. It was disgusting. I had never been a fan of chesto berries. Even before the events of the trial, yesterday, I couldn't stand them. All the trial had done was lower my opinion of them.

Grovyle gave me a look form the corner of his eye. "Eat your breakfast," he ordered, popping a cheri berry into his mouth and chewing. He swallowed before continuing, "You'll need your strength if we're really in…" He paused. "You know."

Zebstrika, who was sitting across from him, gave him a withering look. "You don't have to remind us, you know," he scowled.

Lycanroc seemed to choke on his apple and Zebstrika turned to him. "What?" the Ultimate Racer snapped.

"Nothing you little wimp," Lycanroc sneered. "Just laughing at how scared you are. Can't run away, any more can you?"

That only seemed to rile up Zebstrika more. "Why you-!"

I sighed. "Zebstrika," I said, softly, feeling the air around Zebstrika relax slightly. "Just don't listen to him. He's not worth it. If you let him egg you on like that you're just playing into his hands."

Lycanroc slammed his fist onto the table. "What'd you say, girl?!"

I gave him a dull look, which made him flinch. "I was the one who defended you yesterday, remember?" I pointed out.

He recoiled. "Yeah… thanks with that… but…" He paused before looking away while grumbling.

Seeing that the conversation was done, I turned back to stare at the chesto berry I was holding, before tossing it into my mouth. I grimaced before slowing on it slowly, unable to enjoy the taste of it.

"T-This f-food s-sucks," Froslass grumbled, throwing an apple over her shoulder after only taking one bite from it. "I-It's t-the s-same as y-yesterday."

"I don't think it's too bad," Ribombee mumbled, as she swallowed her own food.

"I don't think it's bad, either!" Blissey cheerfully exclaimed, patting her friend on the back.

"It sucks that Wigglytuff didn't think to hire someone as the Ultimate Chef," Gengar laughed nervously.

"Please," Marowak dismissed. "Let's not wish our situation upon anyone else."

Gengar blinked. "Oh right… sorry."

"No need to apologize." Porygon wasn't eating (though I had no idea how he would eat; he had no mouth) and instead was looking at the screen on his E-Badge. "Just don't do it again."

Gengar gulped. "Right."

Another long silence followed as we all just chewed on our breakfast.

Suddenly, Noivern slammed her wings onto the table, startling all of us. "I can't take it, man!" she yelled in a panic. "We're in a mystery dungeon! What do we do?! How do we get out?! I've never been in one before!"

We all just stared at her before turning back to our food.

Noivern blinked. "That's… not the reaction I expected," she admitted, slowly. "I was thinking more panic."

"I did most of my panicking in my bed," Pelipper muttered, picking at his food. "I'm all out right now."

Lucario gave him a weird look. "Was that…?"

"What?"

Lucario shook his head. "No, never mind." He turned to Noivern. "What do you suggest we do?" he asked. "The only thing we can do is train and prepare for whatever this dungeon throws at us."

"It has already thrown something at us," Greninja pointed out, folding her front arms. "A killing game. One that has already sacrificed most of the pokémon population living here on the earth."

I squirmed guiltily in my seat, as Grovyle glared at Greninja. "Don't assume things," he snapped. "We already established that the entire things were a setup by Monotuff to get one of us to kill. No one's dead. Metang was just an idiot."

"No, he was a genius," Porygon replied. "And that's just it. He used the Orbs too. He should've known that we were all trapped inside a mystery dungeon. Was there something about our situation he only knew? Or perhaps he truly believed Monotuff's threat." He shook his head. "I do not know."

"Jeeeeeez!" A nasal voice suddenly said from the center of the table. "Y'all are still talking about that? It's over with. They're dead. Get over it!"

I jumped out of my seat, my gaze snapped over to the center of the table, where Monotuff was standing on a plate of berries, now completely squashed. Nearby I could hear Ribombee let out a low moan at the sight, but I could only keep my cautious gaze on Monotuff, as it casually wiped the berry juice off of its feet.

"Monotuff," Grovyle said stiffly. "What are you doing here?"

Monotuff did a little twirl. "I'm here just to congratulate all of you for succeeding in that trial! And…" Its expression took a sinister turn. "To give you a reward for a job well done. That's what exploration teams do, right? Get rewards once a job is finished?"

"No!" Lucario snapped angrily. "Exploration teams are meant to explore the world and save pokémon!"

"And get paid while doing it so…" Monotuff nodded. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm just acting like a real guildmaster to you bastards. Some thanks would be nice."

"You're not my guildmaster!" Lucario snapped.

"What is the reward?" Greninja asked, unable to hide the curiosity within her voice.

Monotuff seemed to beam. "Oh, I just finished renovations on the floor below and on some of the gyms! I thought it would be nice to know."

A couple of the others perked up at the word, "gyms." I would be lying to say that I wasn't also interested in seeing if my gym would be among the new ones. But at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what my gym would have. What kind of talent is luck really?

My gym would probably just be empty.

Lycanroc looked suspicious. "What do you mean by the 'floor below,' exactly?" he asked, scratching his nose.

"Exactly what I said," Monotuff replied. "The bottom floor is open. Take the ladder outside this room to go down and you'll find yourselves in B3F. But that's not all!" It covered its mouth holding behind its laughter. "I created two more gyms on the surface that I'm sure _everyone_ will like."

Gengar frowned. "In one night?" he asked. "How did you manage that so quickly?"

Monotuff stuck out its tongue. "It's not that hard to figure out that, bub!" With that, it disappeared.

A moment passed before someone spoke and it turned out to be Lucario, "It knows," he said, gritting his teeth. "It knows that we know where we are and it's just rubbing it in our faces that we can't escape."

"We shouldn't dwell on it too much," Marowak reasoned. "It's just trying to taunt us so we'll grow desperate and resort to killing like…" She hesitated before her eyes narrowed. "Like Metang did."

A heavy silence settled on us, and I let my eyes fall to the floor. Metang. I still hadn't gotten over what he wanted me, and nearly made me, do. The idea constantly hung over me like a wet blanket and I had stayed up for most of the night instead of sleeping.

If I had taken Metang's offer… what would've happened?

"Well…" Blissey's voice broke the silence. I looked over at her to see her giving a rather sly smile. "Shall we claim our reward now? Best not postpone it any longer, after all."

Xxx

None of us really wanted to go down, deeper into the mystery dungeon. The idea was well… terrifying at least to me. Especially since this was the first mystery dungeon I had ever been inside and already it was succeeding any prior expectations I had of it. So, suffice it to say, I was completely unwilling to go done to B3F.

So there was a compromise. We split into two groups. The more experienced people would explore the floor below and the rest of us would look around outside.

The first group contained me, Zebstrika, Noivern, Froslass, Ribombee, Pelipper, and Lucario, who insisted on going with us in case anything happened. The second group contained Grovyle, Porygon, Greninja, Lycanroc, Marowak, Gengar and Blissey, who was holding onto a pouch containing some berries.

We said our farewells, but I was secretly worried about the possibility that Monotuff was just leading us into a trap. That's what mystery dungeons did, right?

The moment we emerged onto the surface we checked out maps, which already had the layout of the surface painted on the screen. Well everyone checked it other than Lucario. He, instead, opted to just survey the land with his two eyes, doing his best not to lock eyes with us.

"There are two new buildings," Zebstrika noted, with a raised brow.

Noivern visibly deflated. "Aw man…." She moaned. "I don't see any sort of stage." She scratched the back of her head. "I really wanted to finally get to play some music…"

Pelipper perked up and reached his wing around to pat her on the back, only for Noivern to suddenly whip her head at him. "Don't touch me," she said in a low voice.

Pelipper recoiled. "I'm s-sorry!" he yelped.

Noivern glared at him before her face suddenly broke out into a grin. "Aw don't sweat, bro. I was just kidding. You can touch me all you want! Gahahahaha!" she laughed, seemingly in a more brighter mood than she was in a few seconds.

Pelipper just stared. "Was that an innuendo?" he muttered to himself just loud enough for me to her.

 _What's an innuendo?_ I wondered.

"C-Can y-you g-guys focus on out s-situation in-instead of you st-stupid comedy routine!?" Froslass snapped before I could ask. "W-we n-need to see if th-there's a w-way out!"

Noivern rolled her eyes. "Fine jeez." She glanced at the map hovering in front of her. "I guess I'll check out the Gym near Kecleon's." She looked at Lucario. "Yo, Lucario. I think your gym opened up."

Lucario frowned. "It did?" he asked warily.

"Yep!" Noivern grabbed his arm and began to flutter hop down the stairs, dragging him along. "Let's go check it out, boi!"

"H-Hey w-wait!"

"Noivern!" Ribombee cried. "Stop that! You could hurt him!" She raced after the duo.

"Hmm…" Zebstrika glanced at his own map. "I guess I'll check out the raceway. That seems to be more style." He closed his map and began to head down the stairs.

"I'll come with you," Pelipper said. "That's close to my gym anyway…" Anything else he was going to say faded away as he and Zebstrika left, leaving me at the front of the Guild.

Not alone, granted. But not someone who I would consider a friend…

I looked at Froslass, who flinched and snapped her head away. "A-are you im-implying j-just be-because we were l-left al-alone that we should g-go to-together?" She snapped. "I'm-I'm n-not as m-much as a sk-skank like you, y-you know?! E-Even, I-I have s-some dig-dignity!"

"Well if you want to go alone then…" I trailed off, waiting for her response.

"F-Fine!" she snapped after a second. "I-If you r-really need my h-help…"

It was a little surprising to see how easy it was to convince her. I had initially expected that I would go by myself like last time, but it was a little encouraging that someone would be next to me while I explore.

Even if it _was_ Froslass.

"So where should we go?" I ask her.

"The raceway," she replied.

I blinked. "Why there?"

"I don't like L-Lucario or Rib-Ribombee," she explained. "P-Pelipper and Zebstrika are at l-least a little more t-tolerable by c-comparison."

"Oh." I just nodded, figuring she had her own reasons. "Let's go then."

Froslass also nodded. "L-lead the way."

Xxx

It wasn't what I expected, that's for sure.

Right next to the Deliveryman Gym, was a huge glass and metal coliseum. The building wasn't like anything I had ever seen before. There were several arched openings leading inside it and the entire thing didn't seem to have a ceiling. Through them, I could just barely see the dirt and grass raceway inside.

"This is…" Froslass had her mouth open, for once her stutter not present.

"How did Monotuff build this so quickly?" I gaped.

"Oh." We bother turned to see Pelipper nearby looking a little downcast. "You're here."

Froslass and I exchanged a look. "W-what's w-with you?" she asked a little harshly. "D-Did Br-Braixen finally d-dump you?"

"Huh?" I turned to Froslass my face turning red.

"No, I haven't asked her yet," Pelipper said nonchalantly, which only made me turn red even faster, as he gazed at the metal coliseum in disdain. "It's just that the Racer Gym is a lot more impressive than my rinky-dink one." He sighed heavily.

Froslass frowned, as I stood there still processing the conversation. "R-racer Gym?"

Pelipper nodded, just as the red began to fade away from my face. "Yeah, Monotuff popped up just before you came to tell us that. Zebstrika was pretty excited." He lowered his gaze and grumbled, "That lucky ass…"

"He's inside?" I finally manage to gasp out.

Pelipper gave me a strange look. "Yeah…?" he said slowly. "Are you okay, Braixen?" He suddenly grinned. "Are you trying to say that you are interested in me?!"

"Uh, w-well… I…" I could only fumble desperately. I had never been asked this before! I had never even dated someone before!

Suddenly, Froslass grabbed my hand. "S-sorry!" she quickly. "Br-Braixen isn't in-interested. S-She's al-already got s-someone on the out-outside, she's w-with."

"Oh…" Pelipper visibly deflated. "Who's the other…?" However we were already going through one of the archways, by the time he started to ask the question, so what he said next only faded from my ears.

"Why did you say that?!" I asked Froslass alarmed. I didn't have a boyfriend or anything of the sort!

"I-I was just lying," Froslass explained, rolling her eyes. "Y-you've g-got to know h-how to t-turn down g-guys like that b-before its t-too late."

I paused letting me digest her words. "Are you used to it?" I questioned curiously. She was the Ultimate Dancer and despite her personality, she must be used to putting herself on a stage. And plus looking at her closely she _was_ pretty cute, so surely some pokémon would ask her out.

"Y-yeah," she confirmed. "Quite o-often."

"Huh," I said. "Are _you_ going out with someone?" I said it without thinking and once the words left my mouth I winced.

Luckily, Froslass didn't seem that annoyed. "N-no," she said averting. "I… I j-just don't l-like love." With that, she floated away, emerging inside the stadium.

I watched her go with some confusion. She didn't like love? What did that mean? It didn't seem like she was ready to answer however, so I just shut my mouth and followed her out onto the raceway. I then looked around, trying to see where Zebstrika was, but could only see a small cloud of dust in the distance. "Where is he?" I asked aloud.

Froslass was also trying to find him. "I-I d-don't know," she replied. "M-Maybe he l-left?"

Wait… I squinted. Was that cloud of dust growing larger?

And closer?

My eyes widened when I finally realized that whatever it was it was running straight towards me. I froze, my mind drawing a blank. They… they were going to hit me!

"Watch out!" I felt someone push me from behind and I fell onto the grass that lay on the sidelines, just as Zebstrika ran past me. I sat up and glanced behind me to see Froslass floating there looking embarrassed.

"Did… you just save me?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"D-Don't b-bother!" she snapped. "I-I know y-you're j-just going to go back to m-making f-fun of me!"

"Huh?" I tilted my head. "I was just going to thank you."

"T-Thank…?" Froslass seemed stunned.

"Braixen!" I turned back around just in time to see Zebstrika trotting over to me, in a small panic. "Are you alright?! I didn't hurt you did I?"

"I'm fine." I got up and dusted off my any dirt on my fur and offered Zebstrika a smile. "Just a little dirty."

Zebstrika breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Arceus…"

"Y-you sh-should watch where you're g-going next time!" Froslass scolded him. "Y-you could've k-killed us!"

Zebstrika winced. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't expect anyone to walk onto the raceway! I.. I thought it was common knowledge that you're never supposed to do that! At least… that's what my father said to me…"

"I-It m-may be common kn-knowledge t-to you, m-maybe!" Froslass shot back.

Since the two were arguing it gave me a chance to finally investigate the raceway. It was just as impressive as it was on the outside. The race track was a simple oval-shaped dirt one with chalk lines denoting the different lanes. Anything that wasn't dirt was covered in grass and there were several indents within the walls themselves where there were seats and water coolers. Right next to the water coolers were some lockers and above that were stadium seats that were made of a material that I couldn't identify. The seats reached into the sky

"Incredible…" I said aloud, unable to hide my amazement.

Zebstrika noticed. "Yeah it is, isn't it!" he beamed. "Monotuff told me this was the Racer Gym. But honestly…" He gazed around at his surroundings. "It's way bigger than any other racetrack I've ever seen! You could fit every pokémon in the world inside-!" He stopped mid-sentence and awkwardly looked down. "I mean…"

"Don't worry about it." I gave him a reassuring smile even though my stomach churned on the inside.

"A-any es-escape route?" Froslass asked, unwilling to conform to the current mood.

"No…" Zebstrika muttered. "At least I couldn't find anything here. Nothing connects to the outside of the wall."

"T-then this g-gym is use-useless," Froslass sneered.

"Hey!" Zebstrika cried indignantly.

"She doesn't mean it," I quickly assured Zebstrika.

"No, I get it," Zebstrika said glumly, before perking up. "But maybe the other gym has some sort of escape route?" he offered.

"Hmph." Froslass looked away. "M-Maybe."

"Would you like to come with us?" I asked kindly, silently praying that I would have someone else to balance out Froslass's attitude.

To my internal dismay, Zebstrika didn't seem to get the message. "No thanks," he said brightly. "It's been a while since I've actually run in a specialized track like this, so I want to practice and get my speed up. In case we ever…" He hesitated. "Escape." He suddenly brightened. "Though if you ever want to me to train you in running, just ask!"

"If I do I will," I replied politely, thinking that I would probably never take him up on his offer. Not that Zebstrika was a bad pokémon or teacher but mostly because I had no talent in exercise.

"C-come on, Br-Braixen," Froslass said, turning away. "W-we've been here l-long here enough."

"Oh!" Zebstrika perked up. "If you can warn other people about the racetrack and tell them to be careful that would be helpful."

"Of course," I replied amicably, as Froslass and I left the Racer Gym, heading to the second building on the surface.

Xxx

Was the Fighter Gym a lot more impressive than the Racer Gym or less?

I honestly couldn't decide on an opinion.

Located just below Duskull Bank, it was an ornately designed building colored a deep reddish brown and had curved spires stretching into the sky. It mostly made from stone, giving it a different vibe than the Racer Gym, like it was something that pokémon made rather than the mystery dungeon. On the top of the building's roof were several skylights, which were the only windows I could see, as the rest of the building didn't have any. There were only two entrances inside, one in the front which faced the cliffside and another in the back facing Duskull Bank.

"N-Not that im-impressive," Froslass scowled from behind me.

Before I could disagree, the back door, which we were closest too, suddenly opened and Ribombee flew out. She caught sight of us and relief flooded her face. "Oh, thank Arceus!" she gasped. "Someone else!"

Before I could ask, I hear Lucario's voice suddenly shout from inside, "Ribombee you're not done with your push-ups! Get back in the Dojo!"

Ribombee gripped my arm desperately. "Help me," she begged. "Please."

"I-" I couldn't think of a response, as Lucario walked out.

He gave us a grin. "Braixen!" he cheerfully greeted. "Are you here to train with us?"

"Um…?" I blinked.

Luckily Froslass came to my rescue. "W-we already did some tr-training at the R-Racer Gym," she answered, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

"Oh, that's alright!" Lucario didn't seem bothered. "More training never hurt anyone."

Froslass narrowed her eyes. "I'm a d-dancer," she hissed. "I already h-have a s-specialized d-diet. I-I don't need any more v-variance in my d-daily routine th-than I have r-right now."

"Oh." Lucario's smile fell, before turning to me. "How about you Braixen?"

I gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry but I already did some running with Zebstrika," I lied, hoping that it wouldn't show on my face. "I'm exhausted." To sell my point, I mimed wiping some sweat off my face.

"If you say so…" Lucario said believing me. "Ribombee still hasn't finished her push-ups though!"

"I'm exhausted, Lucario!" she insisted. "I'm not made for this hard labor!"

"Nonsense!" Lucario shouted, folding his arms. "Training can only help when conquering mystery dungeons!"

"I'm a Botanist!" she exclaimed. "I'm not made for this sort of heavy workout!"

I noticed Froslass moved past Lucario sneakily, just trying to get out of the conversation and, after a second of a torn conscious, I followed her inside.

The inside of the Fighter Gym was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. It was a lot like the Racer Gym with raised seats surrounding a large arena in the middle. The arena was barren and the only one on it was Noivern, who was struggling to do some sit-ups. Along the wall were tan lamps, glowing with a fire giving the atmosphere a warm feeling. From where I entered (the back door), I could see the front entrance on the opposite side of the building, where the back entrance was on the right side while the front on the left. On the wall where the back door was and on the left side there was a smaller room with beige-colored walls and two buttons. Looking up at the ceiling, I could see the same skylights I saw outside. There was also a large wooden slab that cut the entire ceiling in half, only held up by two stray ropes.

I gulped. If that fell on someone…

No. It wasn't right to think like that.

There was no way that someone would try to kill again. Not after what happened in the last trial. Metang's execution had probably terrified us all from acting in any way.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing towards the smaller room nearby, as Lucario walked in with Ribombee behind him.

Lucario grimaced. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I have no interest in touching it."

"W-why n-not?" Froslass asked.

He frowned. "It reminds me of human technology. Like that lift from before and…" He tugged his collar. "This thing."

Froslass gave him a strange look, as I walked into the small room and examined the red and green buttons. The red one had a small arrow pointing down and the green one had an arrow pointing up. Without thinking, I pressed down on the green button hearing a satisfying _click_ when it gave way to my weight and I tensed up.

Nothing happened.

"W-well that was d-disappointing," Froslass said from behind me. I glanced at her to see that she had joined me inside the room, with Lucario nearby, nervously shifting back and forth, refusing to join us inside.

I gave her a half-hearted shrug as I pressed the green button. Again, nothing seemed to happen.

Froslass gave the buttons a disgusted look. "W-what a dis-disappointment-!"

"Braixen!" I heard Lucario cry out. I turned towards him and recoiled.

The room that Froslass and I were in was sinking into the ground. I could see Lucario's panicked face from a gap that was only getting smaller and smaller.

Lucario reached out an arm. "Grab it!" he yelled, desperately.

I attempted to do so, but Lucario quickly withdrew it, before the gap could close completely and completely chop off his arm. Now I stood there facing a dirt wall, hearing the fading desperate cries from Lucario above us.

"G-good g-going, Braixen," Froslass stammered out, though she didn't look too worried.

"I didn't know that something like that would happen!" I protested.

"Y-you d-didn't expect to g-get trapped in a mystery d-dungeon and in a k-killing g-game, too!" she snapped back.

"T-that's-!" I shut my mouth and tilted my head, hearing some new voices different from Lucario's.

"…at's…on?" I heard someone say that sounded like Porygon's.

"No…dea." Another one that sounded like Gengar's.

"…Move back." Porygon's voice was now a lot clearer, as the dirt wall gave away to bright light that nearly blinded me, causing me to shield them as I felt the room stop moving.

"…Braixen?" I opened my eyes to see Gengar and Porygon staring at me in surprise. "Froslass?"

"W-what?" Froslass stammered. "H-How… what?"

Gengar seemed just as confused, but Porygon's eyes' narrowed as they shifted between me and Froslass. "You're in B3F," he informed us. "Did you come here from the surface?"

Speechless, I nodded.

"Whoa, wait." Gengar frowned. "Does that mean this thing is a lift like that thing in Sharpedo's Bluff?"

"Probably." Porygon said. "It wouldn't be the strangest thing we've seen on this floor." He gave us a look. "Where does the lift connect to?"

"T-The F-Fighter's Gym," Froslass answered. "Or the D-Dojo. W-We l-left Lucario, N-Noivern and R-Ribombee up there."

Porygon nodded, gestured for us to get off, which we did. "Don't worry, this floor is safe," he informed us, getting on the lift himself. "The others should be around exploring. I'll inform Lucario and the others on the surface that you're safe." He eyed the buttons before pressing the green button. The lift began to rise and, before long, Porygon had disappeared into the ceiling.

Froslass looked around. "I-Is this a-all th-there is o-on B3F?" she asked.

"Uh…" Gengar looked around awkwardly. "No there's some more rooms. This one was called the Fighter Gym's basement, so that's why Porygon figured it was connected to the surface. Though we didn't expect it to be connected through a lift."

I too gazed around at our new surroundings. It wasn't the biggest room or basement. The floor was covered in a strange material that felt like Mareep wool but wasn't at the same time. It was a little scratchier. "What is this?" I wondered aloud.

"It's carpet," Gengar immediately answered. When I looked at him, he turned away from me and blushed slightly. "At least that's what Marowak and the others think it is."

I gave him an astonished look and gazed around. The walls were a tan color while the ceiling was a stark white. On the ceiling hung a large ornament that shined with a bright light that seemed to come from a small round object made from glass. Littered around the room were several pieces of exercise equipment, rubber mats, and dumbbells, along with other things I couldn't identify. Just across from where the elevator was a wooden door, though stylized differently than the usual ones in the guild.

The room gave me a weird feeling. It was different from everything I had ever seen, even after coming here. Alien was one word to describe it.

"It's-At least Marowak and the others say that the mystery dungeon is mimicking human buildings," Gengar explained.

"H-human?!" Froslass stammered out.

Gengar nodded. "You'll… You'll understand when you see the rest of the floor." He shook his head. "It's a trip."

I gave him a curious look and walked over to the door, pulling it open after turning the doorknob. Just before that, I noticed a small switch right next to the door.

Finally, I saw B3F for the first time.

Cold.

It was so cold.

The floor was made of white marble and both the ceilings and walls were painted a dull gray. Light spilled from rectangular indents within the ceiling, but not from a fire like I was used to, but some sort of electricity. When I opened the door, I was facing a wall, but to my right and left there were two other hallways that curved forwards from where I was standing.

I hugged myself and shivered. "Why is it so cold?" I asked, seeing Froslass float forward unperturbed by the temperature.

"Um…" Gengar simply shrugged.

"It's nice," Froslass said, her stammer suddenly gone.

I stared at her. "Froslass…?" I started to ask.

"What?" She gave me a strange look before realization crossed her face and it was quickly replaced with disdain. "What?" she asked again, a little more forcefully. "You think I stammer like that all the time. I'm an Ice-type! I prefer the cold!"

"That doesn't make any sense," I heard Gengar mutter behind me.

"Hmph!" Froslass folded her arms a little haughtily. "Let's just finish our exploring so that I don't ever have to talk to you ever again." She floated off to the right.

"If she doesn't like you then why is she still willing to explore with you?" Gengar asked aloud, giving me a baffled look.

I shrugged helplessly, but since I didn't want to be left behind, I quickly ran off in pursuit of Froslass, while giving Gengar a small wave. I found her in front of another door, this time with a plaque that said, " _Archive Room_." She had been waiting for me, so the moment that I arrived, she opened the door and floated inside, forcing me to follow her.

It was another small room, but it felt even smaller given everything inside. They were numerous wooden shelves lined in a row stuffed with cartons of papers and leather-bound books. A small desk was shoved into the corner near the entrance and a couple of fire-lit lamps were bolted to the stone walls.

Two pokémon were already inside. Grovyle was rummaging through some files muttering to himself while Lycanroc leaned against the wall, watching him carefully.

Froslass cleared her throat, as Grovyle stopped whatever he was doing and turned to her, surprise etched in his face. "W-What are you d-doing?" she asked.

Oh. Her stammer was back.

"What does it look like?" Lycanroc grunted. "We're looking for information."

"Lycanroc please be quiet," Grovyle sighed.

He scowled. "Oi, what did you-?!"

"He's right, though," Grovyle interrupted, leaving Lycanroc to scowl and just look away. "I'm looking for any information that can explain our situation. An archive room would have something like that right?"

"Right?" I said uncertainly.

Grovyle sighed, before glancing at Lycanroc. "Lycanroc," he said slowly, catching the attention of the Ultimate Berserker. "Didn't you have something to say to Braixen?"

"… No." He looked away.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not."

"It would be better to get over it now than later," Grovyle said impatiently.

"Fine," Lycanroc grunted, turning to me. "Braixen…"

"Yeah?" I asked suddenly feeling nervous. What did he want to tell me?

"I wanted to thank you for defending me during the trial yesterday," he muttered, halfheartedly. "Without you, I might have…" He hesitated but continued once he noticed Grovyle's stern face. "I might have died." He bowed his head. "So, thanks."

"J-jeez th-that was p-pathetic," Froslass mumbled behind me. Luckily it didn't seem like Lycanroc heard her.

I gave Lycanroc an astonished look. "N-No it's fine," I quickly said. "If we all had accidentally voted for you, then we would've died too, anyway! I… I was just being selfish." I bowed my head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for anything!" Lycanroc snapped, making stand up straight in fear. "If anything, I have to. If I had managed to defend myself properly then the trial wouldn't have lasted if it did. And we might have died. And… I can't let that happen. Not yet. Not when…" He fell silent his expression distant. "So, _I'm_ sorry."

A silence passed between us.

"I-I understand," I finally said, carefully. "I accept your apology and thanks."

"…Figures," Lycanroc grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "You're too nice for your own good."

Grovyle jabbed Lycanroc in the stomach caused the Ultimate Berserker to recoil and hug his stomach while glared at Grovyle. "At least you finally did it," Grovyle grumbled.

"S-Still p-pathetic," Froslass muttered behind me.

"Have you seen the rest of the floor?" Grovyle asked me, ignoring both Froslass and Lycanroc glaring at each other.

"Not yet," I replied. "There was a lift in the Dojo that brought us down here."

"Well… I wouldn't get your hopes up," he said. "None of us have found a way out of this place. Including the way, it looks…" He looked conflicted. "It's unnerving. Why would a mystery dungeon try to emulate human buildings?"

"Maybe it just likes it?" Lycanroc suggested halfheartedly.

"Maybe." Grovyle just scratched his head.

"I-Is there _a-anything_ interesting in this p-place?" Froslass groaned.

"Honestly?" Lycanroc shrugged. "Not really. At least there isn't anything that's going to get us out of here."

Grovyle gave Lycanroc a withering look, before glancing at me. "There are a few interesting places here. There's another gym for one."

"Another gym?" I blinked. "Who's?"

"Blissey's?" Lycanroc responded. "She was pretty happy about it. Though…" He puffed up his chest. "It wasn't as impressive as mine!"

"Right." Grovyle rolled his eyes.

"L-let's g-go, Braixen," Froslass said. "T-There's n-nothing here f-for us. L-let's get the r-rest of the r-rooms over with." She floated out without another word.

Grovyle watched her go. "Why are you…?" he started to ask.

"It just happened," I admitted nervously. "It's really not that big of a deal. She's actually pretty nice once you get to know her."

Grovyle studied my face, before smiling. "Well, that's good." The smile dropped. "Explore the rest of the floor. I'm sure that Monotuff is planning something by opening itself up like this. We should know what we're facing so it doesn't get the upper hand."

I nodded. "I-I'll be back!" I said, determined to keep moving forward and, after waving goodbye, I quickly followed Froslass out of the Archive Room. She was standing in front of another door, again with a plaque but this one read, " _Healer Gym_."

"Tch." Froslass scowled. "Why did that crazy have to get a gym?" she asked, placing her hand around the doorknob, getting ready to enter the room.

I gave her a strange look. "Crazy?" I echoed. "She's not…" I looked down remembering Blissey's personality during the guild trial. Afterward, she had seemed to return to how she was when I met her, but at the same time, there was always something off with her…

Froslass rolled her eyes but didn't give me any sort of answer and instead just threw open the door. She made a face. "Oh," she groaned. "You're here."

Blissey smiled. "Froslass! Braixen!" She bounded towards us and clasped my hands within her own, making me realize that she was wearing gloves. "I'm surprised! How did you get here?"

"There's a lift in the Fighter Gym," I explained, peering over Blissey's shoulder to try and see what was inside. The room was just as big at the Fighter Gym's basement but was a lot more high-tech. There were several glass shelves in the walls that held differently colored bottles and cups, each with a paper label pasted on the glass. Within the room were two beds and four drawers next to them. On a messy oak table, there were several flasks and tubes filled with liquids.

That was all I saw, however, as Blissey moved in front of me to block my view. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm still cleaning up. I can't let anyone in until I move out any specialized chemicals or treatments."

"Specialized?" Froslass asked, narrowing her eyes.

"You know!" Blissey said brightly. "Lethal!" My mouth dropped.

"And how do we know you're actually throwing them out?" Froslass continued to interrogate Blissey, while my eyes flicked between them, trying not to get in between the two.

"I've already shown Greninja all of the ones I'm taking out," she said cheerfully. "You can trust her, can you?"

Froslass grit her teeth and backed away. "Fine," she said softly. "Do as you please." She floated away.

"I-I'm sorry!" I quickly said to Blissey once Froslass was out of earshot.

Blissey only laughed lightly. "It's fine," she assured me, while at the same time pushing the door closed so that only a gap remained that I could see her through. "Just be sure to make sure she doesn't come back until Greninja and I are done." She shut the door in my face.

I just stood there for a few moments, staring blankly at the closed door. Again, I just couldn't understand Blissey. Everything about her was just… off.

Shaking my head, I turned around, to find that after the Healer Gym it ended in a dead end with only a staircase leading up, presumably to B2F and where the rooms were. The only way forward was to the left to two other hallways, one which kept going forward and another turning left. However, the one that kept going straight was blocked by a large metal wall. Curious, I opened the map on my E-Badge to confirm my suspicions.

The entire floor was essentially a circle, with some straight edges instead of curves. It looped back on itself, so if I continued to walk on the same path while ignoring the ladder going up, then I would eventually make it back to the Fighter Gym's basement. Though… I tapped the area where the metal wall blocked any progress forward. I couldn't see through the wall with my own eyes, but the map revealed that behind the gate was a staircase leading down to B4F.

Meaning, there was more of the mystery dungeon that we couldn't even explore yet.

I swallowed my fear and turned the corner, passing the metal gate, trying to put it out of my mind. If we couldn't go there now, then why bother thinking about it?

Though even I knew that that wasn't the best idea in the long run.

I noticed that there were two other doors in this hallway before it looped back to the Fighter Gym's basement. The closest was wide open, so I entered it without a second thought. The moment that I did, however, my nose was assaulted by an incredible smell. My eyes wide, I looked around just to try to find where that delicious smell was coming from.

Froslass was already here with Greninja, both of whom were giving me amused looks. It was another large room with a brown and white tiled floor and white walls and ceilings. The farthest wall in the back wasn't a wall at all and instead was a large window that looked out onto the ocean behind Wigglytuff's Guild. Through it, I could see the wall that surrounded us and the waves constantly crashing into the stone. There was another red door to the right that was open, where I could see Marowak inspecting some berries.

"What's that smell?" I asked.

Greninja gestured to the kitchen. "There are some more fruits and berries in there," she explained. "Along with some other food that Marowak is trying to identify."

I blinked. "Why Marowak?" I asked.

"She's the only one who has any knowledge on human customs and creations," Greninja explained. "The only one who can make sure everything in there is safe."

"I-Is t-that n-not dangerous?" Froslass stammered.

"It is." Marowak walked out, giving the kitchen an objective look. "But I'm pretty sure nothing in there is a trap set up by Monotuff." She placed a plate down on a table which contained berries I had never even seen before. "But there are some weapons inside which can be used to kill."

I gave her a terrified look. "Then-!" I started to say.

"No." Marowak interrupted, with a shake of her head. "I doubt anyone will use it. Not after seeing how Metang was executed. Anyway, Froslass." She turned to the Ultimate Dancer. "You were complaining about the food we had before, right? Well…" She gestured to the food she had brought out. "If you want…"

"I-I'm fine, t-thanks." Froslass looked away.

"Suit yourself." Marowak shrugged and chowed down on one of the berries she brought out.

I tried one myself and my eyes widened. "Bis iz rate!" I said with my mouth full.

Greninja chuckled before her face turned serious. "Have you too checked the other room in this hallway."

"N-no," Froslass answered. "W-why?"

"No reason," Greninja replied. "It's just that it is the last room that Marowak and I were going to check. I was wondering if you would've liked to come with us."

"E lan!" I said, still stuffing my face.

Another chuckle. "Excellent," she said, taking a berry for herself. "Marowak you're coming right?"

Marowak shook her head. "No," she denied. "I think I am going to investigate the kitchen some more." Her eyes sparkled. "The machines in there are things I've only ever seen broken or destroyed. This would be a dream come true if it wasn't for the circumstances."

Greninja looked a little disappointed. "If you say so," she said, walking out of the cafeteria. I quickly grabbed two more berries and followed her out with Froslass right behind me.

It only took a few seconds to go through the door that led to the second room within the hallway. The moment I entered I lost my appetite.

It was huge. The ceiling stretched so high that when I looked up it made me slightly dizzy. Huge lamps like the one in the Fighter Gym's basement hung from the ceiling, lighting up the entire room. Metal shelves stretched just as high, piled high with different types of items. Some of them I could identify like a ladder, rope, and gravelrocks but others were beyond my understanding. There were also some boxes containing other things within.

"What is this?" Froslass gaped, her stammer not present as the room was just as cold as the outside.

Greninja seemed tense. "This is…" Her eyes flickered between several of the items on the shelves. "Unnerving."

"How so?" I asked. I mean I found it strange and weird too, but for reasons that I couldn't explain.

Greninja moved within the shelves examining everything. "This place has everything you would need," she muttered to herself.

"It's a Storage Room." I glanced over at Froslass to see that she had her map open.

"Exactly. A Storage Room to hold everything we could ever need," Greninja said slowly.

I blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

She gave me an unreadable look. "To murder," she said, making the already cold room even colder. "A murderer has everything they need in here to kill someone perfectly."

Xxx

I could only thank Marowak for finally bringing some new food for us to eat. As much as I hated to admit it, the new berries and food she had brought from the Cafeteria were leagues better than anything I had had for the past week. Still, no one was willing to eat in the Cafeteria, so we all just crowded ourselves back into the guild's dining hall.

Everyone was down, so while the food did lift some pokémon's spirits, most of us remained quiet.

Finally, Porygon sighed. "We're not getting anywhere staying silent."

"I agree!" Lucario shouted forcefully. "We should come up with a plan right away!"

"A-And wh-what do you s-suggest?" Froslass snapped.

"I… er…" Lucario sat back down looking ashamed.

"We need to get through this mystery dungeon somehow," Marowak muttered to herself.

"Yes, but how?" Ribombee asked. "We haven't found an exit yet."

"There was a wall that blocked us from going deeper in B3F," I added trying to be helpful. "Maybe there's an exit there."

"Or there's something there that Monotuff doesn't want us to see," Lycanroc said darkly. I gulped.

"…No, I don't think so." Greninja said, looking thoughtful. "I believe that it's using these as an additional motive to have us kill?"

Noivern laughed nervously. "What… what makes you say that?"

"Think about it," Greninja tapped the side of her head. "The only reason it opened up B3F was because we solved Zoroark's murder last night. If that's the case what's to say if we complete more it won't open up another floor for us."

Grovyle's eyes widened. "It's trying to use our hope that we can escape against us," he said. "It's trying to encourage more killings."

Everyone exchanged an uneasy look.

"That's a bit of a stretch," Porygon pointed out. "If someone is killing then there is already the idea that they'll escape if they get away with the killing." He let out a small hum, thinking to himself. "We need to prepare for the worst. Monotuff's most likely got another motive prepared to get us to kill. And to do that we should probably make sure another killing doesn't happen."

"Um… how do we do that?" Pelipper asked.

"We train!" Lucario suddenly stood back up and yelled, as everyone turned to look at him.

"Train?" Ribombee echoed.

"Yeah!" Lucario folded his arms and nodded. "Training with others promote healthy growth of friendship and teamwork!"

Everyone gave Lucario a strange look other than Greninja. "That's… not a bad idea," she admitted. "Admittedly I've never done something like that before, but if it is anything like Lucario is saying, then we could use it." She eyed some of the others including me. "Especially pokémon who've never been in a mystery dungeon before."

"E-Exactly!" Lucario agreed.

Blissey smiled. "That sounds like a great idea!"

"Um…" Pelipper looked concerned. "Are these classes optional?"

"Of course not-!" Lucario started to say before he was interrupted by Porygon.

"Of course," he said, contradicting Lucario. "But working together and learning from each other can only help us get through this situation."

"Oh… uh…" Pelipper looked flustered.

"Then it's agreed upon!" Lucario said excitedly. "Tomorrow morning everyone should meet me in the Fighter Gym! Or as I call it the Dojo! Lucario's Dojo!" He placed a hand on his chest. "We'll train like there's no tomorrow!"

"Oh!" Zebstrika perked up. "I can train others in running and endurance with my gym! Endurance is an important part of exploration teams, right?"

As the conversation devolved into people offering their own expertise and suggestions for classes, I eventually tuned it out and focused on my food. I had gotten the gist of what we were doing tomorrow. We were going to train each other to hopefully escape this mystery dungeon eventually or strengthen our bonds so another killing would never happen again.

Looking around the table at everyone talking and genuinely getting along, it made my heart rise.

Yes, I had hope for the first time since coming here. We were working together thinking of ways to beat Monotuff at his own game. We weren't about to lose so easily. We would all survive this.

Yes… we would all survive this. I… I know that. My head knew what I was saying was true. The evidence of us working together was there.

So why did my heart say otherwise?

* * *

New Rooms:

1F: Fighter Gym/Dojo, Racer Gym

3BF: Dojo Basement, Cafeteria + Kitchen, Healer Gym, Archive Room, Storage Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally, we begin the second arc.
> 
> Apologies that this chapter wasn't super interesting. It was mostly a "New Rooms" chapter and setup chapter so there wasn't a whole lot I needed to add. 
> 
> It was also a very Froslass heavy chapter since I felt that Froslass didn't really do a whole lot in the previous arc, mostly because writing dialogue for her can take some time. So by extension writing, this chapter took some time too, haha!
> 
> So just some basic questions: Who do you think will die next? Any more predictions? 
> 
> Oh and don't worry about this chapter's relative lack of interesting things. Stuff will really be moving forward in the next chapter...
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	8. Road to the Elite Four (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit June 7th: Fixed Lucario's Free Time Event

Chapter 7: Road to the Elite Four- A New Motive

* * *

**The next morning…**

"Come on, Braixen!" Zebstrika called out to me from the sidelines of the racetrack within the Racer Gym. "Keep moving your arms! You're almost there!"

 _That's easy for you to say!_ I wanted to scream, but instead, I kept my mouth shut and focused on the finish line.

As was agreed upon last night, we started classes today. Zebstrika, Lucario, Ribombee, Blissey, and even Lycanroc had all agreed to have classes within or around their gyms. At first, I was all for it and excited to learn from pokemon who were essentially masters of their craft. But now… after being forced to run twenty laps…

Yep, I could safely say that I was not cut out to be a racer of any kind.

I stopped running and fell to my knees, too exhausted to continue. Zebstrika trotted over to me, a wide grin on his face. "What's wrong, Braixen?" he asked, not looking even a bit tired despite doing the most running out of us all. "You have to keep going."

"Just…Give…" I could barely finish my sentence. "Rest…"

Zebstrika's wide grin dropped. "Oh… sorry," he mumbled, looking at some of the others who were lagging behind me. "I guess I've been pushing everyone too hard."

"You think?!" Gengar yelled while collapsing onto the ground behind me.

Zebstrika winced. "Sorry," he apologized again. "I guess I've been channeling my father a little too much."

I blinked and looked at him. "Your father?" I echoed, not remembering Zebstrika ever talk about him. He had mentioned his mentor at one point but his father...

"Ah." Zebstrika gave me a startled look. "Right remember the mentor I told you about a couple of days ago?"

I nodded recalling the conversation we had only a few days prior. He had talked about his mentor who had won over three hundred races which were more than Zebstrika had ever won in his life.

"Well my mentor is my father," he continued to explain, looking slightly embarrassed, as my eyes widened. "He was the one who taught me how to run. So…" He gazed around the Racer Gym seeing most of the others start to exit the racetrack and sit down on the grass to take a break. "I guess I was just trying to emulate the way that he taught me."

"Oh," I said quietly. True, the class had been a lot different than I had been expecting from Zebstrika. He had been sterner and pushier during the class, but I hadn't thought to question it too much. "Your training must've tougher than," I said to downplay how strenuous running twenty laps had been.

Zebstrika nervously laughed. "I guess." His expression suddenly turned into a mix of wistfulness and bitterness. "Most of our lessons required me to have a warm-up of fifty laps."

I recoiled. "F-Fifty laps?!"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "He was always… just pushing me to go faster and faster."

I frowned. "Isn't that what racers… do?" I asked uncertainly.

Zebstrika looked surprised before he looked down with a bitter smile. "Yeah… you're right."

I blinked at his strange reaction. Had I said something wrong? I would have to choose my next words carefully…

"Zebstrika," I said slowly, after giving it some thought. "Do you have a problem your mentor… I mean, father?"

Zebstrika winced. "What? No… I mean…" He sighed. "Yeah," he finally admitted. "He was the one who pushed me to be a racer."

"Did you not want to be one?"

His eyes widened. "No, no!" he vehemently denied. "I've always wanted to be one. I've always wanted to be my father. But…" He laughed awkwardly. "Even after all this time… I still haven't managed it. And now that I'm stuck in here…"

I opened my mouth but quickly closed it again, unsure of what to say. I could try to tell him that we would get out of here soon, but with no evidence of it, I didn't really have any way to reassure him. Finally, I gave him a weak smile. "So what do you think I need to improve on?"

Zebstrika brightened. "Well, you see-!"

I ended up spending the rest of the morning running. By the time it was finally lunch, my legs were aching and I could barely stand up. Even worse, is that I had to go to Lucario's gym next.

I was really having second thoughts on these classes.

Xxx

Lunch was uneventful, but it did give me a chance to rest up before Lucario's class. It was a small reprieve just before I delved back into training.

Luckily, Lucario was, in my opinion at least, a better teacher than Zebstrika. That didn't mean his lesson was any more grueling, however. Each of us was split into different groups to do different workouts. I was put with Noivern, Ribombee, and Gengar and asked to do fifty pushups.

An hour in and I had only managed to finish twenty. I wasn't the only one struggling. Noivern had barely managed to do two before giving up, Ribombee was still struggling to do her tenth, but at least Gengar had done a few more than me, but still not a whole lot.

Lucario walked over to us an gave us a disappointed look. He clapped. "Alright!" he called to another group, who consisted of Greninja, Grovyle and Marowak. "Switch exercises!"

The other group got to their task immediately, while our group was sluggish in starting our sit-ups. Noivern just collapsed on her back and lay there, not bothering to move an inch.

Lucario knelt down next to me as I struggled to do my first sit-up. "One," he started counting.

I gave him the dirtiest look I could muster before it fell in favor of one filled with exhaustion.

Lucario noticed it let out a small sigh. "It can only help, Braixen," he insisted. "Mystery Dungeons are dangerous places and you have to be prepared for anything that turns up." He folded his arms. "This sort of training can only help."

I knew he was right, but, in my exhausted state, I didn't like to be lectured to like a small child. "What…" I gasped out. "Have… you… been in a… mystery dungeon before?"

He nodded. "I've told you before about Team Honor," he explained.

Oh, right. I had forgotten. "The rescue team you used to be a part of." I tried to remember more. "Foggy Forest? Did you…" I did another sit up that left me gasping for air before I could continue. "Did you find anything?"

Lucario shook his head. "No nothing was there. All we managed to find was a broken statue of Groudon." He smiled wistfully. "The exploration teams we were with were pretty disappointed."

I gave him a look. "Exploration team?" I asked. "I thought you were a rescue team?" Truth be told I didn't understand the distinction between the two.

He nodded. "We were," he admitted. "We were just hired from a different continent to help out. Afterward, we went back to our original continent and…" He paused suddenly falling silent.

I couldn't understand why he went quiet so fast. "Lucario…" I said carefully. "Is something-?!"

Lucario's face turned stony. At first, I thought he was mad at me before he suddenly jumped to his feet. "Everyone! Get back!" he yelled, holding his arm.

I sat up my eyes wide and my ears picking up some strange sounds. Sounds of creaking metal and moving gears coming from where the lift was.

I tensed up, as I heard the sound stop and the doors open. Everyone around me froze, expecting the worse… as the doors opened up and Porygon floated out looking slightly irritated. He paused, noting everyone's tense expression and narrowed his eyes. "What?" he drawled.

"You-!" Lucario gritted his teeth. "Why did you use the elevator?!"

Porygon gave him a dull look. "I knocked on the two doors and no one answered," he explained. "Both of them were locked so I used the lift to come inside. Is that a problem?"

"Yes!" Lucario snapped. "You're not supposed to use _human_ technology!"

"Technically its mystery dungeon technology," Marowak pointed out.

Lucario scowled. "Still-!"

"Why did you lock the doors then?" Porygon asked.

The sudden question caught Lucario off guard. "Because… I… uh…" He squeezed his eyes closed. "I-I don't like the idea of Monotuff coming inside!" he finally admitted. "He's unnatural."

Porygon gave him an exasperated look. "He can teleport," he pointed out. "I doubt a door can ever stop him from coming inside."

Lucario flinched and looked away, which caused Porygon to sigh. "What group should I be in?" he asked finally. "Assuming that you still want me to participate."

Lucario gritted his teeth. "Group 3." Nearby, Pelipper waved to Porygon as Lucario walked back to me. Porygon watched Lucario go carefully before floating over towards Group 3.

Lucario knelt down next to me and, after giving me a nod, I started my sit-ups again.

I stayed quiet for the rest of the day, as Lucario seemed to be in a bad mood after that. By the time it was dinner, I had staggered over to the dining hall and devoured whatever food was on my plate, before walking back to my room and collapsing face-first onto my bed. I passed out a few seconds later into a dreamless sleep.

Xxx

**The next morning…**

"Err…" Lycanroc awkwardly scratched his snout, as he faced us. This morning he was supposed to be the teacher of his own very class and, despite volunteering, he was obviously way out of his depth.

Still, I remained attentive, as he pulled a metal shot put ball from behind his back and showed it to all of us. We were all outside of his gym because most of us were unwilling to go back into the room where Zoroark had died (we all just had breakfast an hour ago). Despite Lycanroc obvious reluctance to hold class outside he seemed smart enough to keep quiet and follow the group.

"This is a shot put ball," Lycanroc explained.

"Wonderful," Porygon drawled.

The Ultimate Berserker narrowed his eyes dangerously. "What'd you say?!"

"What are you thinking of doing?" Blissey asked innocently.

"Um… well…" Lycanroc scratched his head. "I didn't really have any plan for this to be perfectly honest," he reluctantly grumbled.

"Of course you don't," Zebstrika sneered.

"Hey!" Lycanroc growled.

"Should we perhaps cancel this class if Lycanroc has no real plan?" Marowak asked the group.

"W-wait a minute..."

"Perhaps." Porygon tilted his head. "I'm not in the mood to entertain someone who didn't have the responsibility to-!"

"Hey!" Lycanroc shouted. "You want to see what I know?!" He wound his right arm back with the shotput ball, getting ready to throw it. "I'll show you, bastard!"

My eyes widened. "Wait, Lycanroc-!" I was too late, as Lycanroc launched the metal ball into the sky. We all watched it sail into the horizon in the direction of the guild. It disappeared behind some trees and soon we heard the sound of breaking glass, similar…

My heart skipped a beat.

Similar to what I heard when Metang murdered Zoroark.

My heart leaped to my throat and I feared the worse, as everyone froze. "My…" Zebstrika let out a strangled gasp. "My gym!" He ran off, leaving only a cloud of dust behind him. After a second of hesitation, everyone else ran after him leaving only me and Lycanroc behind.

"D-dammit!" Lycanroc gritted his teeth. "Why does this always happen to me?!" He began to follow after everyone, leaving me all alone standing in front of the Berserker Gym. After a moment, I swallowed my fear down and ran off towards the Racer Gym.

The others had already made it to the Racer Gym and staring up, where a large swath of the windows had fallen apart. None of them were willing to go inside, in regards to the numerous large shards of glass that littered the field and the inside of the raceway. "You…" Zebstrika gave Lycanroc a murderous look. "What did you do?!"

Lycanroc flinched. "It… It wasn't my fault!"

"Um…" Ribombee tilted her head. "You were the one who threw the shot put ball though."

The berserker recoiled. "That's-!" He growled. "That's because everyone here taunted me."

"We did no such thing," Greninja denied.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to have Lycanroc teach us stuff?" Pelipper muttered under his breath.

"He's just new," Noivern remarked brightly, albeit a little loudly. "He's never been a teacher before! It's a learning process!"

"I have been one before!" Lycanroc snapped.

Grovyle folded his arms. "Then why are you a horrible teacher?" he drawled.

"I taught math and shit," Lycanroc argued. "I've never taught someone how to use my talent. I mean how would I explain it?! 'I get angry and fight good?'"

Grovyle paused as if pondering the statement. "That's fair," he finally admitted.

"Moving on…" Marowak piped up, eyeing the numerous glass shards littered around the field. "I feel like we should clean this mess up. If we leave it here then someone could hurt themselves and the larger glass pieces can definitely be used as a weapon."

Her words caused most of us to look nervous and we all quickly agreed. There was a bit of time dedicated to sorting out who would take what area but soon enough we had all split off into groups of two and I found myself with Lycanroc since no one else wanted to be with him.

Neither did I, but I did feel slightly sorry for him. The entire time, he looked extremely guilty and refused to look Zebstrika in the eye. "Its not your fault," I finally said to him.

"Hm?" He looked at me.

"It's not your fault," I repeated. "I'm sure you were just stressed and that's why you threw the ball."

Lycanroc blinked. "That still sounds like it's my fault, lass," he pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

I flushed. "I'm just trying to be nice," I muttered, turning back to pick up some glass that had gotten caught in a nearby Bush. We fell back into silence for another long while.

"…Thanks."

My head shot up and I turned to Lycanroc surprised. "What?"

"You know what I said," he growled.

I was quiet for a second, before I asked, "You said you were a teacher?"

Lycanroc scratched his head. "Yeah well… not in the traditional sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh well…" Lycanroc looked around to check if there was anyone nearby. There wasn't so he leaned in and said in a low voice, "I just taught the kids in my orphanage basic math and stuff." He shrugged. "Nothing special."

I blinked. "You own an orphanage?"

"No," he quickly denied. "I lived there." After a moment passed, he continued, "I was an orphan."

"Oh," I said quietly, unsure of what to say. What could I say to that revelation? Especially to someone like Lycanroc? I was just at a lot of words so I continued to pick up glass shards, as Lycanroc continued to talk.

"I lived in that orphanage for most of my life," he explained. "So when I became and solo explorer, I made sure to send all of my profits back to those kids. Because…" He faltered and looked away. "Well just because."

I felt as though there was more to the story he was telling me, but at the same time, I knew better to press him on the issue. I was already amazed he told me as much as he had. "Lycanroc, why are you telling me this?" I couldn't help but ask.

Lycanroc froze and whipped his head. "You're a fucking idiot you know that?"

I recoiled. "W-what?!"

He looked away. "Congrats," he grunted. "I guess I'll consider you my first acquaintance in this utterly shitty group." He stomped away, leaving me alone and stunned into the clearing.

_Did I…_

_Did I somehow become friends with the last pokemon I ever expected to be one with?_

With a strange sense of both dread and hope, I continued to clean up the area with everyone else, only taking a break when Blissey and Ribombee brought lunch up from the dining hall. Soon enough, by the time the sun was started to behind the wall that encircled us, we considered the clean up complete and gathered back in front of the Racer Gym.

Zebstrika gazed mournfully at the large gaping hole within the walls of the coliseum. "My gym…" he moaned sadly.

I patted him on the side. "It's okay. Maybe we can fix it. Or maybe Monotuff can fix it."

He scowled. "I'm not asking that stupid _thing_ for any help whatsoever."

" _Ding Dong! Ding Dong!_ " We all looked up at the sky to hear Monotuff's voice echoing from all around us. " _This is an announcement for all guild members!"_

"Speak of the devil," Porygon muttered

" _Please report to the guild master's room immediately!"_ Monotuff continued. " _I have a new motive ready! One that is sure to finally motive one of you to kill! That is all!_ " He stopped talking, leaving me with nothing but a sense of dread.

Another motive? Was he going to put our families up for the slaughter again? And if not what could e more motivating than that?

Looking at the others, I could see them having the same thoughts.

Finally, it was Grovyle who shrugged, drawing everyone's attention. "Well…" he said, without a hint of fear within his voice. "It's not going to like us keeping it waiting like this. Let's just go and get this motive over with."

Xxx

We all filed into the guildmaster's office, most of us afraid of what we would find inside. To my surprise, there wasn't another large number or stack of pictures inside. Rather there were three rows of chairs, that I recognized from the Storage Room, all arranged so that they were facing the back wall and Monotuff, who was standing where the guildmaster usually would.

"Sit down! Sit down!" Monotuff nodded rapidly.

We looked at each other in confusion but did as Monotuff demanded. None of us wanted to be the one to disobey it.

I ended up sitting in the front row with Gengar and Pelipper, right in the middle of the row. Behind me sat Marowak and others all sat around me. "So…" Grovyle said carefully. "What's this motive?"

"Ooo!" Monotuff covered its mouth in obvious giddiness. "Excited to get motivate for murder?"

"No," Grovyle replied sharply. "I just wanted to know what I'm getting into."

"Well, this motive is going to be a lot more interactive compared to the last one!" Monotuff said cheerfully, as a monitor extended down from the ceiling. It produced a strange machine from behind its back and gave each of us a strange look before its gaze narrowed on me.

I instinctually stiffened, as it waddled towards me and handed me the machine. I gave it an incredulous look, as Monotuff spread his arms. "A special reward for you, Braixen, for being the lynchpin to solving the previous trial! Congratulations!"

My mouth went dry, as I clutched the machine it had handed me. "W-what?" I could only say.

"It's a video game!" Monotuff exclaimed.

My horror was replaced by confusion. "What's that?" Lucario asked.

"A human entertainment medium!" Monotuff explained.

"H-Human?!" Lucario cried, looking scared.

Marowak looked slightly interested. "I've never heard of such a device," she mused aloud.

The monitor flickered for a second before an image appeared on it. A rather pixelated charizard appeared on the screen, blowing flames out of its mouth. Above it was the words, " _ **Pokémon RED**_ ," and right below it were the words, " _ **Press START**_."

Lucario recoiled. "W-what?"

My stomach sank. "I-I don't…"

"Braixen," Gengar nudged me gently. "Just press the button it's telling you." He gestured to the machine in my hands.

I blinked and looked at the controller a little more closely. There was a cross-shaped button on the left side, while on the right side were two buttons marked with the letters, **A** and **B**. In between the two was one other button labeled **START.** Putting two and two together, I hit the button.

A small chime was heard from the game and, as most of us watched on amazed, the screen swapped to one with a single pixel character wearing a red hat and surrounded by trees. The only way out seemed to be a small path leading up.

"Impressive!" Monotuff complimented. "Now use the cross's up arrow to move forward. You can use **A** to interact with things and **START** to pull up the menu."

I nodded to show that I understood. I took a second to think and pressed the **START** button to pull up the menu. There were only three options: **Bag, Pokémon,** and **Trainer Card**. My interest piqued, I picked the **Pokémon** category and the screen changed to a different one with 16-bit versions of three pokémon that I recognized.

Greninja narrowed her eyes. "Gardevoir, Ekans, and Medicham," she said aloud. "An interesting team."

The **Bag** category only seemed to contain berries and some miscellaneous items that I didn't recognize the names of. Meanwhile, the **Trainer Card** contained a portrait of the character that I was playing as, a male human.

"In this game," Monotuff explained, drawing my attention towards him. "You play as a Pokémon Trainer. They are a type of human who enslaves pokémon and has them battle with other pokémon, some wild and others owned by other pokémon trainers."

Lucario looked visibly pained. "That's horrible," he breathed.

I shuddered. Being enslaved and forced to fight against my will… well, that just sounded like the situation that we were in right now. But I couldn't imagine doing that on a whim, just being ordered to by a human. Swallowing, I investigated the card a little more. The human didn't seem to have a name, but they did have eight different badges. The significance of them flew over my head.

I left the menu and looked behind me, silently asking everyone else what I should do. I was a little scared about the idea of moving forward like Monotuff seemed to want.

However, Grovyle just gave me a nod. "Just keep playing, Braixen," he said with a shrug. "Even if you don't do it, Monotuff is just going to get someone else to do it."

Well then, I did secretly want someone else to play, but I just swallowed and moved the character forward through the path in between the trees. They kept walking forward until I reached a crossroad. Again I looked behind me for advice on what to do.

"Just pick a direction and stop stalling," Lycanroc growled.

I gulped and decided to turn right. The character walked for a bit before two things appeared on the screen once he entered a clearing. The first thing I noticed was a large red building with a red roof. Right next to it was another human, this one dressed in a green uniform, complete with a dark green hat.

Remembering what Monotuff said about interacting I steered my character over towards the other human and pressed **A**. A small square appeared right beneath the two characters with some text.

_Ranger: I couldn't save them… They're all gone… If only I could see them in that dark, dark place._

_You: Who?_

_Ranger: The rest of my team! They're all gone! And it's all my fault!_

_You: Jeez… Get over yourself, loser. No one cares about your problems. I've got my own problems. I've got to get through Victory Road and become champion._

_Ranger: …_

_You: Later, loser!_

I nearly dropped the controller and looked around wildly. "I-I didn't say that!" I exclaimed.

Porygon looked curiously at the monitor. "I don't think you did. I think we should see this as some sort of interactive story." He gave me a knowing look. "It's not you who said those words, but the character you're playing as. I guess…" He tilted his head. "whoever this person is, they're just a terrible person."

I gave a nervous nod, before focusing my attention on the building with the red roof. There was a small entrance in the front, so I tried to go through, only for it to open before my character could even go close. Another human came out, this time a female with pink curly hair. She spotted my character and an exclamation point appeared above her head as another text box popped up on the screen.

_Nurse: Sorry there's no more room. All of this space is being reserved for pokémon who've been injured in the recent disaster._

_You: What about me?_

_Nurse: You… you'll have to look somewhere else, sir. I'm sorry._

_You: Tch. Fuck you._

I flinched at the abrasive language as the nurse bowed and disappeared back into the building behind her. After a second, where no one behind me said anything I continued walking towards the right. Eventually, I came across a gate where a human similar to the ranger, except their uniform was blue, stood in front of what looked like a metal gate. I stopped moving, waiting for anything to happen but nothing did. So instead I pressed **A** to interact with them.

_You: Hey, let me through._

_Guard: You must battle me in order to move forward!_

_You: Fine… let's get this over with._

The screen went black as energetic and fast-paced music began to play. "This is the battle screen," Monotuff explained, as the two humans appeared, each one facing each other. They each threw out a red and white ball and a pokémon appeared on each side. The one closet to me- my character- was a gardevoir and the opponent had a bisharp. I heard someone take a sharp intake of breath the moment the bisharp appeared from behind me. "You have three options. **Fight** , **Pokémon** , and **Bag**. **Fight** allows you to choose four moves to attack. **Pokémon** lets you switch between different pokémon. And **Bag** allows you to use items."

I didn't fully understand whatever Monotuff was explaining, but I was at least able to understand the basics.

It was a battle. A pokémon battle.

Immediately the others began to shout suggestions. Switch pokémon. See if there's a warp orb. Use a seed. Attack.

I picked the last option. Attack.

Four moves. Psychic, Moonblast, Calm Mind, and Magical Leaf.

Greninja hummed. "Psychic moves will be ineffective," she said. "Magical Leaf isn't very ineffective against steel types. The only option here is…"

"Moonblast," I finished, picking the attack. I saw the gardevoir charge up energy from the moon before firing a bright pink beam at the bisharp. The bisharp recoiled from the attack as a bit of the green bar above it disappeared.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Monotuff giggled. "Looks like it didn't do much damage!"

The bisharp reared itself back as the blade on its head glowed white. The bisharp slammed its head into the gardevoir's chest and the green bar above it disappeared in almost an instant. I heard a weak cry come from the gardevoir as it collapsed.

_You: Tch. What a worthless pokémon. Return!_

"J-Jeez!" Froslass scowled. "W-What a-an a-asshole!"

The trainer sent out an ekans next. I quickly checked its moves and was disappointed. All of them were poison-type moves meaning that they were all ineffective against the bisharp. I could only pick a random move and watch as the bisharp knocked out the ekans.

_You: What a useless partner!_

Next was the medicham. I was in luck this time as the medicham had a fighting-type move in High Jump Kick. The others were silent behind me since it was pretty obvious what move I should pick. Swallowing, I hovered over the **A** button, before finally deciding to have faith that it would hit. I pressed down.

The medicham jumped up high into the air and began to bring her foot down. However, its aim was way off and it ended up slamming into the ground. I could only wince in sympathy as the medicham collapsed onto the ground, the green bar disappeared almost instantly. The screen swapped back to how it was originally as another text box appeared below the two humans.

_You: I can't believe I lost! My pokémon are worthless! If only I had better ones! I'll shove them in the box later! Or give them no food! Or just release them into a dump like the trash they are!_

_Guard: You would do that wouldn't you? You cursed human._

_You …_

Ribombee blinked. "Cursed human?" she repeated with some confusion.

_Guard: Yes. You're the one who nearly caused the world's destruction. You…_

The screen went black. Suddenly, a large human face appeared on the screen laughing. HYPER REALISTIC blood began to pour out of his eyes as he screamed, "CURSED HUMAN! CURSED HUMAN!"

I couldn't help it. I let out a tiny scream and dropped the controller, just as the screen slowly faded into black and the human face disappeared.

The others weren't as impressed at the jumpscare. "Was that supposed to scare us?" Marowak asked, patting me on the back, as my face suddenly flushed, embarrassed at my reaction. "It was kinda pathetic."

"Agreed," Porygon said with a nod.

"Well, that was the motive!" Monotuff cheered. "Tell me… are you all motivated to kill yet?"

We all exchanged a look with each other. Noivern raised a wing. "I don't get it," she said.

"Neither do I," Zebstrika admitted.

Monotuff, all of sudden, seemed a little miffed. "Well… whatever!" it huffed. "I thought it was a great time." With those words, it abruptly disappeared.

We all stared at the spot where Monotuff had once been. "What…" Grovyle finally said. "What was all this about? This entire thing… I don't get it."

I opened my mouth but noticed Gengar trembling nearby. "Gengar," I said softly. "Are you okay?" Everyone else turned to face the ghost. He was sweating and his shaking became even more visible once everyone turned his attention towards him.

"I-um…" he stammered out, taking a few steps away from us. "S-Sorry! I-I've got to go!" Before any of us could react, he had dashed out of the guildmaster's room and towards rooms. We all watched him go, each one of us baffled at Gengar's reaction.

Finally, it was Pelipper who said something. It was blunt and to the point, but it was what we were all thinking at that moment.

"What was that all about?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a whole lot happened in this chapter till the end, but I do hope the end was at least worth it! In case you couldn't tell those were this story's of free time events, though I obviously tried to do something different than how they were in the games because I just don't think that part of the game can translate the best into this story. Plus I don't have a lottery system so whatever, I enjoy writing them like this.
> 
> But free time events are minor cases when compared to the big one. So tell me how was the motive? Definitely a lot more confusing than the previous one, drawing inspiration from "Twilight Syndrome Murder Case," but mirroring the atypical Pokemon games. I feel like I may have made both the victim and the killer a little too obvious in this case, but regardless I'm still excited to get to the actual murder which will come in the next chapter!
> 
> (Also I know. Hyperrealistic blood was just a joke, I found the term funny.)
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!
> 
> -Heroi Oscura


	9. Road to the Elite Four (Part 3)

Chapter 8: Road to the Elite Four- Checkpoint

* * *

**The next morning…**

I walked out of my room with a yawn. Everything that had happened yesterday had finally tired me out, so the moment I entered my room last night I had just conked out without much celebration. We didn't talk much about Monotuff's motive, since I, and I'm assuming nearly everyone else, didn't know what to make of it.

So, I chose not to think of it for now. Unlike the previous nightmare that Monotuff had called a motive, this one seemed inconsequential.

As I strode down the hallway, I paused, noticing Greninja staring sternly at a nearby door to another door. At her feet lay a small plate of berries. "Greninja?" I asked as she turned giving me a look of slight surprise.

She let out a small sigh. "Braixen," she greeted formally, with a nod.

"Who are you waiting for?" I asked, glancing at the door. It was the door to Gengar's room.

Greninja shrugged. "No one really." She replied. "I'm just leaving food for Gengar. He hasn't come out of his room since last night after Monotuff had shown us his new motive. As such I've been leaving him food." She chuckled. "Perhaps there's something about the motive that has him spooked."

"You mean…" I tried to recall the motive, but only one scene came to my mind. "The cursed human thing?"

Greninja nodded. "Maybe he knows something about it." She tilted her head. "However, we may never be able to ask him about it until he comes outside. Regardless, the motive is weak and I'm not about to let him starve to death just because he's afraid."

"Oh," I said quietly. "Ok."

Greninja just smiled. "Well then," she said, changing the subject. "Shall we go to our next class? I believe it's Ribombee's turn isn't it?"

I gave her an appreciative smile back happy to see the subject shift away from talking about the motive. "Yes," I answered. "I just wonder what we're going to do!" I already knew a lot about the berries we ate every day, so I didn't exactly know what she would be teaching me. Still, I was pretty excited!

Xxx

I regret everything.

The moment Greninja and I made it to Ribombee's Gym overlooking the cliff on Sharpedo's Bluff, we were split into two groups, each working on one end of the gym. Apparently, this wasn't some much as a class as it was an easy way for Ribombee to get us to work. Greninja was a part of the other group, but luckily, I was in a group with both Ribombee and Blissey. I didn't know what the other group was assigned to do, but Ribombee asked everyone in my group to do nothing but pull weeds. Still, I felt lucky to be with Ribombee in her actual gym since I could just ask her for help if I needed it.

At least I felt I was lucky until I realized just how hot it was inside the greenhouse.

It was _sweltering_. Every second inside made it feel more and more like I was being cooked alive and I found myself constantly glancing at a nearby clock to see when it would hit noon, so I could go back into the cool depths of the guild.

"Braixen?" I jumped about a foot into the air thanks to Ribombee's voice from behind me. I quickly turned around to see her giving me a nervous smile. "Is everything okay?"

I nodded rapidly, hoping she couldn't see that exhausted expression I was making before. "Yeah! Everything is fine!"

Her smile wavered. "It is a bit exhausting, isn't it?" she correctly deduced, looking down at the ground.

I flinched. "N-No, t-that-!"

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I couldn't think of anything to have my class be about. I've never had to teach other pokémon about what I do before."

"It's okay, Ribombee," Blissey said sweetly as she strode over to us, carrying a small bucket of berries. She placed it down on the ground and turned towards me. "Ribombee was up all night with me trying to think of something she could do."

"But this was the best I could think of," she said miserably.

"It's not that bad," I insisted. "It's just… really hot."

Ribombee seemed to be on the verge of laughing. "Well it is a greenhouse," she pointed out. "The greenhouse effect and all."

I blinked. "Greenhouse Effect?"

"Oh!" Ribombee visibly brightened. "Well to explain it simply the planet's sky traps the heat from the sun and makes the entire planet warmer since the heat can't escape. This greenhouse works the same way, trapping heat and making the inside hotter."

I nodded, surprisingly able to follow the explanation. But still… "Why didn't you talk about this for your class?" I asked, innocently. "It's pretty interesting and you explained it well."

Ribombee blinked, before falling to the ground and covering her face looking embarrassed. "Oooooh…" she moaned. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Blissey giggled. "Well then you can do it next time, Ribombee," she said.

Ribombee smiled, awkwardly flying back up to my eye level. "I guess you're right," she admitted.

I looked between the two, before kneeling down and pulling a couple more weeds from the dirt, just to make it seem like I was still working. "You two are good friends," I noted, with a sad smile. Their camaraderie made me miss my siblings somewhat.

"We've known each other since we were children," Ribombee explained. "And when we grew up and gained our respective talents we worked relatively close to each other."

"I worked in a hospital, obviously," Blissey said with a giggle.

"I was in charge of a garden that was near the hospital and provided it with berries and the like," Ribombee explained. "So for most of our life, we've been close together." She shook her head with a light laugh. "I don't think we've ever been apart from each other before."

"At least not any longer than 10 hours," Blissey remarked lightly. "Every pokémon needs their sleep."

"So you two have known each other for your entire lives?" I asked, my eyes widening. I had known them to be good friends but for them to know each other for so long…

Ribombee nodded. "When you live near each other and work together for so long it's hard to not become friends," she explained.

Blissey nodded and grabbed the bucket of berries, lifting it with her arms. "I've got to go and put this in the Healer Gym for my own class tomorrow," she said to Ribombee. "See you during lunch?"

Ribombee beamed. "Of course!"

Her friend smiled back and left the greenhouse. Once she left, Ribombee dropped her smile and let out a huge sigh.

"Is something wrong?" I asked with a frown.

Ribombee glanced around us to make sure no one was listening in before leaning in towards me to whisper, "Can I tell you something in confidence?"

Curious, I nodded.

Again she looked around, before saying, "I'm… I'm worried about Blissey."

I blinked. "You are?"

She nodded. "I've… I've never seen her act the way she did during the trial," she said sadly. "I'm just worried that this… _game_ may be causing her some stress."

Again, I nodded. Not surprising. If the motive wasn't so confusing I'm sure I would also be somewhat stressed at the moment. I certainly was before the last murder.

Ribombee let out another sigh. "I just don't know what to do," she admitted. "I'm afraid she's going to something drastic."

I took a second to think about what to say. "I don't think that Blissey would do something like that," I said firmly. "She's still a nice pokémon and cares about all of us. If that wasn't the case then…" I took a second to think. "Would she still be helping you with your greenhouse? Or still offering to teach all of us about medicine and healing pokémon?"

Ribombee seemed to contemplate it, before giving me a soft smile. "You're right," she said. "There's no way. Blissey isn't that type of pokémon. There's no way she would kill for Monotuff."

I smiled. "Exactly!" I looked down at the dirt below me, realizing that I hadn't done too much work in the time that we had been talking. "Um…" I said sheepishly. "Do you mind helping me pull weeds?

Ribombee laughed. "Of course!"

Xxx

If there was something I wasn't expecting to do after wallowing all morning under the hot sun, it was helping Pelipper sort through some documentation inside his gym. But he had come up to me, looking desperate, practically begging me to help him. Unable to really say no, despite the fact that Pelipper was kind of a pervert, I followed him to his gym to find it a complete mess.

My mouth fell open when I noticed the piles and piles of envelopes and paper all over the ground. "What happened here?" I asked weakly.

Pelipper looked embarrassed. "Er… I was looking for something and uh… something fell over and…" He fell silent.

I gave him a look, before shrugging. Something that he was embarrassed about doing perhaps? "If you say so," I said, kindly, kneeling down to pick up some papers. I was already a little tired from the greenhouse activities earlier that morning, but I had gotten some food into me and the Deliveryman Gym was pretty cold, unlike the greenhouse. "Where should I put everything?"

Pelipper blinked not bothering to hide that he was surprised. "T-thanks," he mumbled, helping out by picking up some letters with his wings.

"I don't mind," I replied. It was true. I was already used to helping others clean and, if anything, it continued to distract me from the other things that were going on around us.

We continued picking up the mess for the next few minutes in silence. Finally, Pelipper said, "If you see a letter with a wailord stamp and addressed to me can you tell me? And don't open it!"

I frowned as I picked up a letter with the exact description he had given me. "You mean like this?" I asked uncertainly.

"What are you…?" Pelipper's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the paper I was holding onto. "Gimme that!" he yelped, snatching the letter out of my grasp.

I didn't try to take it back and instead just gave him a raised eyebrow. "Is it something important?" I questioned.

"No! I mean, yes! I mean… uh…" Pelipper didn't seem to be able to come up with a concrete answer so he just hung his body in shame. "It's complicated," he muttered.

"Oh." I fell quiet and continued to clean up, taking the cue that Pelipper didn't want to talk about it.

Another long while before either of us talked. It was mostly me cleaning up, while Pelipper was staring nervously at the letter he had taken from me. By the time that I was halfway done with the cleaning…

"It's from my family."

"Hm?" I turned back towards Pelipper to see him still staring at the letter.

His expression seemed unnaturally downcast. "It's a letter that my family asked me to deliver to myself," he explained.

I frowned. "Sorry?" I said, not understanding it at all. "You were asked to deliver a letter to yourself? By your family?" Even saying that out loud myself made no sense to me.

Pelipper grimaced. "It was my dad's idea," he grumbled. "A symbolic gesture or whatever." He shook his head. "I stored it here when I first came to this gym, but when I invited you and Lucario it went missing. I assumed that one of you put it somewhere else I couldn't find it and spent all of this morning looking for it. And um…" he shifted uncomfortably. "That's how the mess appeared. Apparently, I wasn't looking hard enough anyway." He chuckled rather nervously.

"So you haven't opened it?" I gave the letter some more scrutiny.

Pelipper looked uncomfortable. "No, I guess I'm just afraid of what it might say."

"Why?" I frowned. "If it's a letter that your family wrote from before all of this then it must be encouraging."

"My family…" Pelipper let out a sigh. "We were all raised to be delivery birds. We basically lived in a building just like this. It was a lot bigger than this one though, which made sense since my family was pretty big." He let out a bitter sigh. "If I have to be honest, they all consider me to be a little bit of a failure."

I blinked. "But weren't you the hero who saved that village from the disease?" I asked.

That only seemed to make Pelipper look more apprehensive. "True but…" He sighed, before suddenly shaking his head. "Fine! Let's rip this bandage off now! No more waiting!" he said, sounding a little more determined, though it sounded a little forced. "A cute girl is cheering me on and I'm not about to let that pass!"

I just gave him a dry look. What the heck was he talking about?

He tore open the envelope and withdrew the single piece of paper from within. It was folded into thirds and, after another moment of hesitation from Pelipper, he unfolded it.

On the paper were only two words.

" _We understand."_

I frowned. "That's not much of a letter…" My voice died when I noticed Pelipper, who was gazing solemnly at the two words. Without another word, he ripped the paper into the two and tossed them into a nearby trash can. "Let's finish cleaning," he muttered.

I gave him a worried look as he continued to pick up the trash off the ground. Not really sure of what to say to him, I knelt back down to the floor and began picking up some more of the envelopes that littered the gym.

"Hey, Braixen," Pelipper said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go out with me?"

I flushed. "I-I thought I already said no!"

Pelipper laughed shakily. "Yeah, I know." He turned away from me and, probably assuming I couldn't hear him, he muttered, "Not until I actually am a hero, huh?"

For the rest of the day, no more words passed between us. By the time we had finished cleaning up, the sun had already gone down. We split apart from each other once we reached the guild. After a quick dinner, I started to head back towards my bed, only to be stopped by Grovyle and Lucario just as I left the dining hall. "What's wrong?" I asked, seeing the two of them step in front of me, blocking my path.

"Well…" Grovyle folded his arms and waited for Lucario to speak.

Lucario scowled at him but gave me a serious stare. "We wish to convince Gengar to exit his room!" he explained, loudly.

"Oh," I said quietly. "He still hasn't come out?"

"No," Grovyle answered. "Even I'm getting a little worried, to be honest."

"But then… why do you need me?"

"You've got a good heart, Braixen," Lucario said. "You were the one who saved us in the last trial. If you speak to him directly, then maybe he'll listen!"

"H-huh?" I blinked. "Well sure I could try, but…"

"There's no harm in trying, Braixen," Grovyle said. "Both Lucario and I have, but with no luck."

I swallowed. "Alright then." I walked over to Gengar's door and rapped on the wooden door. "Gengar…?" I said carefully.

A long silence passed, so I turned to Lucario and Grovyle. "Um… he's not-?" I stopped talking just in time to see the door open a crack and Gengar's eye peek out from the darkness.

"Braixen?" I heard him mumble. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…" I glanced at Grovyle who just gave me a shrug. "I just wanted to know why you wouldn't come out?"

"Oh…" He looked down at the floor. "I just need to be by myself for a while. If that explains anything. Please just leave me alone." With those words, he shut the door.

I gave Lucario and Grovyle a helpless shrug. Grovyle returned it with a shrug of his own. "Just don't bother. If he wants to be a coward and hide within his room, then let him."

"That just isn't right though," Lucario said. "We should be trying to do whatever we can to help him in any way we can."

Grovyle just sighed. "You can't save everyone," he said wisely.

I winced, while Lucario only got angrier. "W-We won't know until we try!" he shouted at Grovyle.

"We did try," Grovyle snapped back. "Gengar obviously doesn't want to talk about it so why should we be forcing him to?"

"Because then we might be able to save him!" Lucario argued. "What if he's planning to do something terrible inside his room and we could convince him otherwise?!"

"Umm…" I held up my hands. "Let's not shout here…" I said nervously.

Grovyle snorted. "If he does end up killing someone. Then we'll deal with it." He looked away from Lucario. "You can't save everyone."

Lucario slammed his hand into the wall angrily with a loud _thud_ , making both me and Grovyle jump. "Like hell, I can't save you Weavile!"

Grovyle narrowed his eyes. "Weavile?"

Lucario looked surprised for a moment before his face suddenly fell. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "That was uncalled for." He was quiet for a moment, before he said, almost robotically, "I'm tired. I think I'll go to sleep." He gave Grovyle and me a nod. "Good night."

Grovyle watched Lucario go and disappear into his room. "What was that about?" he muttered.

I just gave another helpless shrug.

We just said "good night," to each other, before heading to our respective rooms. I just collapsed onto my bed, taking a little time to think about what happened today. I was worried about Gengar, but if he was keeping himself locked in his room, then I guess there wasn't really anything I could do. Lucario's outburst was worrying, however. Wasn't Weavile one of his team members? Did something perhaps happen to her?

I had no way of knowing as I felt my eyes getting heavy. I yawned and a minute later I felt myself succumbing to sleep.

Xxx

**The next morning…**

_BAM! BAM!_

"Braixen?! You awake?!"

I could hear Noivern knocking on my door just outside, but instead of answering, I turned around in my bed, hoping that she would go away. I was just so exhausted that I hoped that she would think that I was still asleep and leave.

_BAM!_

"Come on, I know you're in there!"

With a groan, I rolled over onto my side before finally standing up from my bed of hay and heading to the door. I opened it and gave the energetic noivern an annoyed glare.

"Oh good!" Noivern beamed. "You're awake. I was starting to think you were dead. I was about to start raising the alarm bells!"

"Noivern…" I rubbed eyes and yawned. "What is it? It's too early in the morning…"

"Its never too early for practice!" She grinned.

I gave her a blank look. I was far too tired for this. "…What?"

She turned around and walked away, before beckoning me to follow her. I rolled my eyes but acquiesced- I was just ready to go back to sleep at that point.

She led me outside and, for a fleeting moment, I thought she was leading me away so she could kill me. However, I quickly dismissed the idea. Noivern didn't really have any motive to kill anyone and seemed to prefer gliding through life rather than put too much effort in. So when we reached the clearing right outside the Racer Gym and Deliveryman Gym, I was confused to find a pile of small instruments.

Noivern gestured to the pile. "Well? Pick one."

I blinked. "Sorry?"

She smirked. "You have to pick an instrument if you're going to join a band."

"A band?"

"Yep!" Noivern cheerfully nodded. "I've been a solo act for most of my career but after a while, I couldn't pull the same crowds I used to be able to pull. I was hoping coming here would reinvigorate my career, but…" She shifted uncomfortably. "But now I'm going to move onto my backup plan! A band!"

My mouth went dry. "Ok…" I said slowly. "But why ask me?"

Noivern smirked. "Because you're the only one here that's too nice to say 'no!'"

Ouch. As much as it pained me to admit to myself, Noivern was right. Perhaps she was a lot smarter than I initially gave her credit for.

I glanced at the pile of instruments again, before picking a small one about the length of my arm that was made out some sort of dark colored wood. Noivern only frowned once she saw what I picked up. "A violin?" she asked uncertainly.

"Is there something wrong with it?" I asked, alarmed, nearly dropping it out of my hands.

"No!" Noivern replied quickly, before cocking her head to the side. "It's just…" She looked at the violin awkwardly. "A violin isn't really the instrument for a rock band…"

I frowned, picking up the bow for the violin. "Well…" I said slowly. "It's really the only instrument that I recognized."

Noivern perked up. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My mother used to own one."

"Then you know how to play?!" Noivern said excitedly.

I winced. "Um… no." I looked down sadly. "My mother never taught me how to play. It was just something that was in our house. She never even used the thing."

"Dammit," Noivern muttered to herself, obviously thinking that I couldn't hear her. She turned back to me and forced a smile. "Well, I guess I'll be the one to teach you how to play!"

I blinked. "You know how to play the violin?"

Noivern smirked. "Yep! I'm the Ultimate Rock Star! That means I know how to play all sorts of instruments!"

I was pretty sure that wasn't what it meant to be a rock star, but I still let Noivern teach me how to play. She actually wasn't that bad of a teacher. However, I wasn't the best student and I could tell that from Noivern's expression whenever I tried to play the violin without her help. Still, at the end of our small lesson, she complimented how quickly I was able to grasp onto lessons. Sensing that she was just trying to be nice, I thanked her, before heading back to my room, to get some much-needed rest.

Xxx

Blissey didn't have her class until nighttime, so I ended up sleeping through most of the day until dinner. After dinner, I used the ladder to enter the floor her Gym was on, realizing at that moment that I hadn't actually been on this floor since the day after the trial.

It was just as clean and sterile as I had remembered it. No blemishes marked the walls and the tiled floor was the same as when I first saw it several days ago. It seemed like not a lot of other pokémon had entered the floor for any sort of reason.

It took me a few minutes to remember the way over to the Healer Gym, but when I got there the door was closed. I knocked and waited patiently for a minute, before Blissey opened the door, giving me a wide smile. "Come in! Come in!" she said enthusiastically, moving aside to let me through.

I walked through, getting my first good look at the gym since I had actually never been inside before. It was about half the size as the Fighter Gym, so about the size of the Deliveryman Gym. Blissey had apparently organized the room into a sort of classroom, with the beds removed of their mattresses and placed on the ground as places to sit, with the frames used as makeshift desks. She had found some extra beds, presumably from the storage room, to use.

I took a seat next to Froslass, giving her a smile as a greeting. She just scowled and turned her head away from me.

Well, at least I tried.

Blissey clapped from where she was standing, in front of all of the makeshift desks. "Well…" she said with a sad smile. "I guess that might be all…"

I looked around, surprised to find that only half of us were actually here. Gengar was missing which wasn't that much of a surprise but along with him Grovyle, Ribombee, Porygon, Zebstrika, Lycanroc, and Lucario were also missing. Some of them weren't surprising, such as Lucario and Lycanroc who both held some disdain for the floors underneath the guild. Porygon hadn't been coming to classes for a while now, though I didn't know why. The others were probably busy… with something.

"We'll be working on creating our own medicines," Blissey instructed. "You'll be working in partners. Next to you is a basket containing berries and…"

Blissey continued to lecture with some complicated terms and phrases being thrown around, but I was able to grasp the gist of it. She was just tasking us to crush some berries in order to create some healing potions that she herself created by using said berries. Froslass and I were working together and she tasked me to grind up the berries using a mortar and pestle. Froslass was handling some other chemicals, but her focus wasn't entirely on our tasks, rather she was staring intently at Blissey.

After some time passed with her doing nothing with the berries I was grinding up, I asked, "Are you okay, Froslass?"

She blinked and turned to me as if surprised to see me there. "I'm fine," she said shortly, for the first time her attention turning to mixing the berry mush I was handing her. Her stammer was gone and I assumed it was thanks to the rather cool temperature of the Healer Gym.

I frowned, trying to think of something to say to her. Finally, I landed on a question. "Can you tell me about the Kimono Eevees?"

Froslass paused for a moment, before continuing her work. "What do you want to know about them?" she asked back, begrudgingly.

"Well, how was it to be under their tutelage?" I asked.

Froslass paused for a moment. "Suffocating."

I blinked. "What?"

She gritted her teeth. "They always think that they know everything," she complained. "They make me follow all of their orders. My life was kept to a strict schedule. I had strict lessons. I was barely ever left outside." Her face turned into that of pain. "Coming here… was my first chance of finally leaving that-"

"Hey Blissey," Pelipper who was partnered with Greninja, raised a wing. "We're…" He was nudged by Greninja and hastily wiped off some berry juice off of his beak. "I mean I ran out of berries."

Blissey peered into the basket she had set aside for them. "Oh dear," she said. "I guess that means I'll have to go topside and retrieve some more then." She headed towards the door. "Just keep on working on what you all have for now, please." She went through the door and closed it behind her, disappearing from view.

Froslass was carefully watching Blissey with narrowed eyes, which is something I didn't miss. "Do you not like her?" I asked.

Froslass seemed to be debating something to herself before turning back to me, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "I don't like pokémon like her," she replied. "Always acting so nice to others, but at the same time thinking she's smarter. It reminds me of those stupid Eevees!" With a growl, she slammed her fist down on the bed frame.

I was taken aback by the tone of her voice. "I'm sure they aren't that bad," I tried to say, but it sounded weak to my ears.

Froslass was quiet for a long while, just staring at a nearby wall. "Dancing is all I have," she scowled. "And even then… they took it from me."

I gave her a worried look, but couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, we both just kept silently working, until Blissey came back about ten minutes later. At the end of the class, Froslass and I managed to create a few bottles of medicine for Blissey's stash, but the two of us didn't talk again.

It was approaching midnight, but I couldn't sleep, so I lay down on my bed and just stared at the ceiling. Froslass's problems may have been worrying but at the end of this day…

No one was dead.

All of my new friends were still alive.

I actually have hope that we'll all actually make it out of here alive. That was something I felt couldn't be understated.

My spirits lifted, I felt myself finally succumbing to sleep.

Xxx

**The next morning…**

I woke that morning in a more chipper mood than I had been in in a long time. The classes, despite the problems with the earlier ones, were starting to get better and we even had classes with Lucario again today. No one had fallen to Monotuff's schemes regarding the motive. I was pretty happy to head to another class with Lucario despite how tiring it may end up being. So after grabbing a quick breakfast, I found myself walking towards the Fighter's Gym with sipping on a tall glass of oran berry smoothie.

However, when I got there, I was met with a strange situation.

Grovyle was impatiently and repeatedly knocked on the back entrance of the gym. "What's happening?" I asked innocently, coming up from behind him.

Grovyle glanced at me his face full of frustration. The fact that I took another loud slurp from my smoothie, seemed to only annoy him further. "Lucario's locked the doors again," he explained. "We haven't been able to get in."

From the around the corner of the gym and presumably at the other entrance, came Noivern, Ribombee, Pelipper, Greninja, and Froslass. "Jeez…" Pelipper groaned, placing a wing over his eyes. "What are we going to do now?"

"H-He's j-just a m-muscle br-brained id-idiot!" Froslass stammered. "N-not letting u-us in f-for his own c-class!"

"Should we just skip it?" Ribombee suggested.

"The training is supposed to be important," Greninja pointed out. "Lucario might throw a fit if we skip despite it being his fault that we weren't let in."

I shrugged. "Why don't we just use the elevator on B3F?"

Everyone turned to me. "I mean…" Grovyle said uncertainly. "That could work, but wouldn't Lucario be pissed to see us using the lift? He still hasn't forgiven Porygon after all."

"Psh." Pelipper snorted. "If he's not going to let us in, then why bother to respect what he wants?"

My eyes lit up, as I suddenly got a great idea. "We could prank him!" I suggested excitedly.

Grovyle gave me a dry look. "Prank him," he repeated.

"Yeah! I've done it too my little brothers and sisters before and they've always loved it!"

Froslass rolled her eyes. "J-jeez, what a-are you, the U-Ultimate Pr-Prankster?!"

I gave her a confused look. "No, I'm the Ultimate Luckster," I said honestly.

Froslass recoiled as though she had been slapped and began to mumble furiously to herself. "I think it sounds like a fun idea, Braixen," Ribombee said sweetly. "I'm sure Lucario would get over the prank sooner or later if we at apologize afterward."

I smiled and nodded. "Of course," I exclaimed, secretly excited to see Lucario's face. The idea of doing something normal I did with my family… well, it was oddly comforting in this situation.

Noivern was also excited. "I think I saw some scary masks in the storage room!" she said. "I'll go grab them!" She flew off before anyone could stop her.

Grovyle let out an exasperated sigh that I couldn't understand. "Fine," he said finally. "I'll play along. There's no harm, I guess."

Ribombee gave Grovyle a nervous look. "If you don't want to be a part of this it's fine, Grovyle," she insisted. "It's just something we want to do for fun. To take away from our…" She fidgeted. "Our situation."

He just nodded. "I understand," he replied. "Just don't make me take the blame for this or make me apologize. This wasn't my idea after all." He gave me another look that I couldn't decipher, before walking away, heading back towards the guild.

Froslass snickered. "T-This is g-gonna be f-fun!" she muttered to herself, floating after Grovyle. Both Greninja and Pelipper merely shrugged before following.

"Come on, Ribombee!" I exclaimed excitedly, recalling some memories of what I used to do to my siblings. Knowing Lucario, he would at least take this somewhat in stride and forgive us. "This'll be fun!"

A while later and we all had descended the ladder down to B3F, where the elevator to the surface was. But while our small group was walking towards the Fighter Gym's basement…

"Braixen? Grovyle? What… what are you all doing here?"

The moment we turned the corner we came face to face with Porygon, who looked completely baffled. "I thought Lucario was having his class today. Why did you come back?"

"He locked the doors again," Greninja explained. "Some of us figured we could enter through the elevator on this floor and one of us…" She eyed me. "Thought it would be a good time for a practical joke."

"Hey!" I protested.

Porygon made an expression I couldn't decipher before it disappeared. "May I join you?" he asked stiffly.

I cocked my head to the side. "Ok?" I replied uncertainly, suddenly realizing that I hadn't seen Porygon for the past two days.

Where had he been?

Not willing to question him on that right away, I skirted around him and continued my way towards the basement of the Fighter Gym. I could hear the shuffling of feet, or wings in Pelipper's case, behind me.

"Why are you here?" I heard Porygon ask from behind me.

"Curiosity," Greninja chuckled ominously, just as I reached the door. "A train wreck is always fun to witness."

"I just want the gym to be able to bulk up again," Pelipper grumbled, as he flexed his wing. "The ladies love a strong man. If I end up like Lucario then there's no girl out there who can resist me!"

Ribombee giggled. "It's too bad you can't learn 'Bulk Up,'" she pointed out.

"Hrk!" I heard Pelipper groan and I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I turned the doorknob. The image of a muscled Pelipper using Bulk Up was too funny to me.

At that moment, I had forgotten how easily despair could strike.

When I opened the door and walked in, two things happened. The first was that the moment I walked in the elevator was already ascending to the surface. So I had stopped moving right in the middle of the room an unshakable dread suddenly falling over me. The second-!

" _Ding_ _Dong_!" Monotuff's voice echoed from all around us. " _A body has been discovered. After a set period of time, a guild trail will begin!_ "

I whirled around only to find everyone behind me staring at a point to my right. Shaking, I turned my head to where their gaze was pointing, silently begging that it was all a big joke.

Lucario's body was on the floor, its back propped up by the wall behind him so it looked like it was just sitting on the floor. Its eyes were closed and a large dark green arrow had pierced its chest just to the right of the spike on its chest. Blood slowly dribbled down from the chest wound onto the floor. Above his body was a message.

"This isn't…" I hear Grovyle say, as Ribombee let out a strangled cry.

I looked up to read the words that had been written in, what I assumed to be at least, Lucario's blood. A phrase I remember reading before.

 

" _ **I aM The CurSEd hUMaN"**_

* * *

**Alive:**

Braixen: Ultimate Luckster

Grovyle: Ultimate ?

Noivern: Ultimate Rock Star

Marowak: Ultimate Archaeologist

Pelipper: Ultimate Deliveryman

Froslass: Ultimate Dancer

Gengar: Ultimate Infiltrator

Blissey: Ultimate Healer

Lycanroc: Ultimate Berserker

Zebstrika: Ultimate Racer

Porygon 2: Ultimate Hacker

Ribombee- Ultimate Botanist

Greninja: Ultimate Assassin

**Dead:**

Metang: Ultimate Genius

Zoroark: Ultimate Illusionist

Lucario: Ultimate Fighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. June was a busy month for me. Hopefully, I can finish the next three chapters by the end of August, which is the goal I set for myself.
> 
> I'm not 100% certain about all the free time events in this chapter. If there are any problems regarding continuity with them feel free to tell me. I wrote this over an entire month so, even though I checked my work, I'm worried that perhaps there might be some issues.
> 
> So what do you think about who was killed? Admittedly, I'm sure it was a little obvious that Lucario would be the victim. And I bet some of you can even figure out the killer rather easily too! This case isn't really that tough but I'm still excited to finally write the conclusion of it!
> 
>  
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.


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